


You Love Me (DE Artfest Stuff)

by SpringlockedSpectre



Category: Detroit Evolution - Fandom, Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: #DEArtFest, 5+1, :(, All Human AU, Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Noir, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Amnesia, Body Swap, Character Death, College AU, Crossover, DE ArtFest, DEArtfest, Dancing, Enemies to Lovers, Fake Dating, Five Nights at Freddy's - Freeform, I'm love that game...., Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nines is still ace btw!!, Noir/Mafia AU, Other, Pacific Rim AU, Roommates, Sharing a Bed, Sickfic, Soulmates, Suicide Attempt, Time Loop, Time Travel/Loop, Trapped In A Closet, Vampire AU, Western AU, Whump, Zombie AU, coffee shop AU, ignore Chapter 27 if you don't want to read that!!, in which Gavin states that he has - in fact - read body swap fanfics before, in which i - a high school student, it's basically just happy death day...., know absolutely nothing about fjaslsfa, monster au, proposal, reverse au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:21:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 43,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25010824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpringlockedSpectre/pseuds/SpringlockedSpectre
Summary: A bunch of the things I'm doing for the DE Artfest by Octopunk Media!!
Relationships: Ada (Detroit: Evolution) & Upgraded Connor | RK900, Ada/North, Lazzo Fratello/Lazzo's Girlfriend, Upgraded Connor | RK900 & Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900 & Gavin Reed & Ada, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 59
Kudos: 84





	1. July 1st - Reverse AU

****

**July 1st - Reverse AU**

_“Gav- Gavin?! Shit, shit, shit! G-Gav, stay with me, tin can, no- no! Don’t close your eyes- Gavin!”_

~~I can’t believe that the only thing I could think of for this prompt was a̸̛̼ ̸̜̒n̴̙̈ ̴̦̊ǵ̵̠ ̶̢̇s̶̙͘ ̵̬̊ṱ̵͒~~


	2. July 2nd - #SharingABed

Sharing a bed with Gavin was... _difficult,_ at times.

Nines learned that the hard way when Gavin kicked him off the bed several times during the night. Upon waking up, Gavin would seem confused and apologize when confronted, but Nines decided to place his leg strategically over Gavin's own as a precaution.

And then there was the fact that whenever Gavin fell asleep before Ninesgot to bed, he had the tendency to hog the bed. Full starfish all over the bed, refusing to move and be moved, it was... _exhausting_ at the very worst, and just annoying at best. Nines had been tempted more than once to enter stasis while standing up, right in front of Gavin's bed, but Gavin might actually have a heart attack and Nines didn't want that to happen due to a variety of reasons, but the main reason was that it would be mean.

But alas, Gavin didn't like sleeping alone, so Nines was there to stay with his human.

Despite all that, Nines loved sharing a bed with Gavin. To just be able to hold his partner, _his boyfriend,_ in his arms, shielding him from anything that may try to harm him, was a good feeling. Sleeping with Gavin in his arms, _hell,_ even just sleeping with Gavin next to him, was the highlight of Nines's night. 

Truth be told, Nines liked being within close proximity of Gavin. It was established early on through their partnership that Gavin did not like being touched. Even when they started dating, Gavin wasn't too keen on touching. There was always this little barrier that Gavin put up, either it's about keeping up appearances or he's rather uncomfortable with being seen. And Nines respected that. But during the night, when Gavin let down all his walls and urged Nines to get closer to him, _that_ was what Nines treasured the most. It wouldn't be such a stretch to say that bedtime was the time that Nines anticipated the most. 

Tonight wasn't so bad. After a particularly heated argument about Asshole and Gavin sulking in their room for a few minutes before they eventually made up _(and made out),_ it was time for bed. Nines had gotten into bed, just as Gavin was about to fall asleep. His boyfriend gave him a tired smile, grabbing onto Nines's tall frame and pushing himself into his body. "Hey, tin can. Lovely seein' you tonight."

"Hm. It's lovely to see you too, Gavin." Nines pressed a lazy kiss onto Gavin's nose. Gavin scrunched his face up with a grin, his eyes crinkled in the way that Nines knew was only reserved for him. "Now go to sleep. You've earned it."

"Mm. G'night, babe."

"Good night, darling." 

Nines wrapped his arms around Gavin's waist, pulling him in closer, close enough that Nines could rest his head on top of Gavin's. Gavin moved into the touch, taking one of his hands away from Nine's torso to bring it to his head, stroking it gently. Nines did not ignore the preconstruction in his head of what would happen if he leaned into Gavin's touch. Nines could feel his partner's heartbeat slow, his breaths evening out as he slowly stopped stroking Nines's hair. 

Nines thought that it was quite sweet of Gavin whenever he did that. It was always just so nice to feel like he was the only thing in the world that mattered. He wondered if Gavin felt the same way whenever he was with him. Nines sighed and pressed a kiss to Gavin's forehead, cherishing the sleepy murmurs that Gavin gave him. He pulled Gavin tighter against him, as though he'd be ripped from his arms if he didn't, cherishing the way Gavin reciprocated the action.

And with both of them lying in each other's arms, Nines went into stasis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come yell at me on tumblr if ya want lmao
> 
> https://springlockedspectre.tumblr.com


	3. July 3rd - College AU

Truth be told, Ada really didn't like college.

It sucked so much, she didn't even know what her great calling or whatever was. It used to be fun when her best friend also didn't know what the fuck to do with his life, but then he met Gavin fucking Reed, and now they're both studying for Criminal Justice to be great ass detectives who were gonna have three cats and get married.

Not that Ada had anything against Gavin or Nines. In fact, she was proud of him. Nines was kinda socially awkward, he didn't really know how to just... connect with people. Not like Connor did. She was kinda pissed when she thought she lost her only friend to some weird feral raccoon of a man, but after that little confrontation, their friendship became stronger than ever. And now they've got a feral trash goblin sitting with them during lunch, so that's something.

Right now, Ada sat with Nines at their favorite hangout spot - the gardens. One thing Ada knew was that she didn't really like their campus. And due to that dislike of their campus, Ada tried to get as far away as she could from it, choosing to explore the city, which gave them a bunch of cool hangout spots during the weekend, and a few places to bitch about their days during the night. But that meant that she didn't really know where the cool places to hang out during their campus are.

And Nines, bless his soul, found just the perfect place for them. The Cyberlife University's Gardens were a godsend, it was nice, quiet, and secluded. And the best part? There were rarely any other people who went there. No weird stoner kids or emo kids! No hipsters trying to feel better about themselves by being different! No school faculty ripping them new assholes because they weren't supposed to be there! It was pure bliss.

Right now, Ada and Nines were chatting about their shitty teachers when a familiar redhead caught her attention. Nines drawled on for a bit more, before turning his head, saying _'oh'_ in a tone that Ada decidedly did not like, and faced her with a shit-eating grin.

"Shut up." Ada glared at her best friend, getting increasingly more frustrated when Nines started wiggling his eyebrows at her. Nines laughed louder, catching some glares from other people who were crossing _(because how dare someone laugh! Right in front of their garden?!)._

"Why haven't you made a move on her yet?" Nines poked her, his shit-eating grin replaced by an equally infuriating smug look. "You two are compatible."

"Why haven't you made a move on Gavin yet? You two are compatible." Ada shot back, getting a smug look of her own when she saw Nines duck his head in a pitiful attempt to hide his blush. "Yeah, doesn't feel good now, does it?"

"This is different. Gavin is like... too cool for me. I doubt that he'd ever fall for someone like me." Nines rubbed his arm, probably in the same spot that Gavin punched him in. "Besides. Red hair seems to actually like you. I mean, if you could only see the looks she gives you whenever you aren't looking."

"First of all, red hair? Really? That's the best you could think of?"

"Would you like to hear Gavin's recommendations instead?"

"Ugh. No." Ada scrunched up her nose. Leave it up to Gavin _'Raging (In Both Senses of the Word) Pansexual'_ Reed to come up with the dumbest, funniest, sometimes what probably could be the most offensive nicknames to ever grace their ears. "Anyway, second thing, if only _you_ could see the looks _Gavin_ gives you whenever you aren't looking. Plus, you're all he ever talks about! Drives me crazy how you two haven't hooked up yet."

Nines seemed to perk up at what she said, but before he could get a word in, Gavin _'Man of Your Entire Life, No Seriously, You Should Be Thankful That I Have Decided To Grace You With My Presence'_ Reed came through the gardens towards them, shoving aside random people with a snarky _"move, I'm gay",_ which got both Ada and Nines to laugh. 

Gavin smirked as he slid in between them, putting an arm on Ada's shoulder and wrapping his other arm around Nines. Nines decided to look at the flowers instead of showing his blushing face. Ada decided to scoff and shove Gavin's arm off her. "So, what the everlovin' fuck are we talkin' about?"

"We're talking about how Nines won't fess up to his crush." Ada said at the same time as Nines said "We're talking about how Ada won't fess up to her crush."

"Mood." Gavin said before he drank from Nines's water bottle. Nines chose to ignore Ada's suggestive eyebrow waggling. "We're all disasters."

There was a shared nod between the three of them. And then Gavin decided to talk about how shitty his professor was, Ada adding in snarky comments here and there to which Gavin laughed at, while Nines... Ada didn't know what Nines was doing. He was always kinda hard to read, but knowing him, he was probably thinking of a way to get rid of Gavin's professor that would suck so bad for the professor but not get a legal team involved.

They talked and talked, up until they had to eventually disband for class. With a goodbye flying kiss _(which eventually turned into a raised middle finger)_ from Gavin, Ada and Nines walked around aimlessly, seeing as it was Friday, and they both had free periods up until 2PM, in which Nines had to go back to Forensics or whatever.

They strolled along the garden's many pathways, Ada catching sight of the redhead talking animatedly with her three friends. Nines saw her pining look and put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in for a side hug. "I'm... probably going to regret this but. I'll confess to Gavin if you confess to your girl."

Ada raised an eyebrow. "I sincerely doubt that. And she's not my girl."

"Not yet." Nines fixed her a stern glare, before he looked up and tapped Ada's shoulder pointing to where the red-haired girl was... walking towards them. No, walking towards _her_. She didn't even spare Nines a glance, except when she looked at him with this gaze of what looked to be disgust. Nines jumped up and patted Ada on the back, uttering a quick _"good luck"_ before running off in a different direction.

Ada really wished she wasn't so stunned by this actual goddess walking towards her right now so that she could've called Nines a coward with dumb bitch disease.

"Uh, hey." The red-haired girl said. "So, I noticed you looking at me."

Ada felt her blood freeze. _Oh god she was about to get absolutely destroyed by this gorgeous woman._ "I am so sorry, I won't bother you ever aga-"

"N-No! No! I just came over here to say that uh..." The girl fixed her beanie, seemingly nervous about something. "...I'd like to go on a date with you, if that's alright?"

At that very moment, Ada's mind blanked. She felt her phone vibrate rapidly in her pocket, probably Nines and Gavin _(even though the latter was in class, that idiot)_ texting her _'good luck's_ and also giving their eulogies in case Ada fucking died right now. 

The girl seemed to notice her sudden stop, quickly apologizing before stepping away from Ada. Ada, in a blind, gay panic, grabbed onto the redhead's arm and kissed her passionately. By the time Ada realized what she was doing, she tried pulling back, only to feel the girl's hand on her head, forcing the two of them together, and also, _the girl was kissing back_.

Ada had never felt so damn alive.

When they finally broke away for air, Ada heard the sound of cheering from the redhead's friends. The redhead then pressed their foreheads together, which allowed Ada to gaze upon this magnificent beauty. "So... later at Burns Alley? 7PM?"

"S-Sure." Ada felt... happy. Oh god, she's going on a date with the girl she had a crush on. This was too good to be true. The girl beamed at her, going back to her friends before she paused. "I didn't catch your name, O, Great Kisser."

Ada simply snorted at that. "Ada."

"North." She nodded before she went back to her friends who were now doing hand gestures that were... yep. North smacked each of them in the head, before waving goodbye to Ada and blowing her a kiss. And mirrored the gesture, waving back as they walked away. After a few moments of stunned silence and pure awe, Ada checked her phone.

_[87 NEW UNREAD MESSAGES]_

Jesus fucking christ. Ada decided to skip past the previous messages, only looking at what was on screen.

_**iPhone9s:** ADA NOOOO  
 **GayvinReed:** pour 1 out fr my homie ada, death by lesbian  
 **iPhone9s:** YOU HAD SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR *SOB*  
 **iPhone9s:**[crying_cat.jpg](https://en.meming.world/images/en/thumb/e/e2/Crying_Cat_screaming.jpg/300px-Crying_Cat_screaming.jpg)  
 **GayvinReed:** u will be missed, aduh_

Ada snorted, shaking her head before texting her friends about what the fuck just happened. There was a bit more talking, the three of them practically rioting over the fact that Ada just kissed her crush _(and she kissed back!),_ up until Gavin sent a message that said _"SHIT TEACHER SAW ME DJDJEDJSJDNDK",_ to which both Nines and Ada sent their regards by sending Fs in the chat, and then talking about the fact that Ada was going on a date and had no idea what to wear. Nines sent her a message about having a quick meeting at Ada's dorm to fix the situation after their classes, and Ada could only smile. 

She had great friends, and now, if things went well, a girlfriend. Ada couldn't wait.


	4. July 4th - #Proposal

Gavin Reed was not known for his cowardice.

He was bold and brash. He said whatever the fuck he wanted, to whoever the fuck he wanted, whenever the fuck he wanted. Because that's just how he was. Impulsive, reckless, and above all, a dumb bitch. Yet for some reason, Gavin couldn't bring it up. He tried so damn hard to bring it up to Nines, but every time there was always something that just _had_ to happen.

The first time he tried, they were called in by Fowler to commend them on their _'great work'_ and _'impressive results',_ telling them to _'keep it up'_ before yelling at them to get out of his office. When Nines asked what he was going to say, he'd lost all his courage and said that he forgot.

The second time, Tina assaulted him with a hug, telling him that she and Valerie were gonna adopt a kid. Gavin would've been pissed off at her if it wasn't something so important to her _(and by extension, him, as her best friend)_. 

The next time, he'd suddenly lost all the will to talk to Nines seeing him talk it up with Perkins.

Then the next time, he was interrupted by a new case being dropped on them because Connor and Hank were sent _yet again_ to some other state to train some more android crimes departments.

And on and on, Gavin tried to build up the nerves to finally pop the question, yet every time he tried, there was always something. He'd began to lose hope, fearing that if he tried again, he'd get interrupted again, _or worse,_ Nines would reject him. Gavin thought of every scenario, and yet the fact that Nines hadn't left yet, the fact that he was always there for him whenever he got too upset at something, the fact that Nines still loved him... that kept him going.

Gavin tore his eyes from the little black box for a moment upon hearing someone entering his apartment. He tucked it away in his pocket, just as Nines entered the room holding Asshole in his arms. Nines cooed at the little bastard, and Gavin couldn't help but smile.

"Gavin, it appears that Asshole wants to be held."

"And I don't?"

Nines grinned at Gavin, dropping Asshole immediately and rushing towards Gavin. Gavin pretended to be annoyed at getting picked up bridal style, but still, he initiated the kiss. Nines went on to talk about his day, casually strolling around their apartment with Gavin still in his arms. Gavin sat contently in his arms, still mulling about the ring in his pocket. He sighed into Nines' shoulder as he wrapped his arms around the taller android.

_It has to happen sooner or later, Gav. Sooner or later._

* * *

It came as a surprise to no one when Hank and Connor had decided to get married. They didn't even fucking announce it to anyone. Just one day, Hank had set out to give invitations to their closest friends at the precinct. Gavin was really surprised to find that he was one of the people who got an invite.

"Are you sure this is for me?" Gavin asked Hank with furrowed eyebrows. He didn't always see eye to eye with Hank, and even though he'd become slightly more tolerable, he was still a huge dick.

Hank just rolled his eyes. "Yes, Reed. You're invited to our wedding. You don't have to come if you don't want to, but..." Hank looked around to see if anyone else was there. "...it'd mean a lot to me if ya came, son."

With that, Hank patted Gavin on the back and went off to visit Chris to deliver his invite. Gavin was stunned into silence as he watched Hank move around the room, then when he saw Connor appear and kiss Hank, Gavin turned away. "Figures that they'd get married before me."

A large mug filled with the holy bean juice _("Gavin, I swear to GOD if you call coffee 'holy bean juice' again I will personally come over to your house and beat the SHIT out of you." said Tina.)_ was put onto his desk by the one android he connected with. Nines pushed Gavin's feet off the desk and sat directly on Gavin's lap then accessing the terminal.

"I hate you." Gavin muttered as he resisted the urge to cuddle into Nines's figure while he tried to drink his coffee.

"You love me."

"Damn right, I do."

Gavin really reconsidered his options as he thought about the black box in his pocket. Was now the time to finally pop the question? Or was there something else that was going to happen? Welp, the answer turned out to be the latter, because Nines just found a new lead on the case that they were on. Sighing into his coffee, Gavin downed the rest of it in one go, knowing that he'd need it to survive the rest of the day.

* * *

Week after week, Gavin tried to get Nines alone and he succeeded on some occasions, but he still wasn't able to spit it out. It was now the day of Hank and Connor's wedding, and goddamn if Gavin wasn't on friendly terms with Hank now then he would've called him out on his horrid choice of suit. Not that he had to though, Fowler already yelled out an _"Anderson, what the everloving fuck are you wearing?"_ as soon as he entered Hank's dressing room. Gavin was about to comment on Hank's Hawaiian socks when he received a message on his phone.

_**9s, luv of my life:** Dear god help me.  
**9s, luv of my life:**[connor,,,you_absolute_buffoon.png](https://66.media.tumblr.com/39a9d0bc091a45ada60c61d295408ea1/5b2474248c4bc70f-7d/s540x810/5f70ada210bbee3659859d7d9bbd336eb2be3676.png)_

Gavin had to laugh at the picture Nines sent him. It was of Connor, wearing a dark blue suit with little St. Bernards all over it. Even his socks had the little dogs all over them. Captain Fowler looked over at Gavin's phone and just looked so done. 

"Well Hank, at least you're not the only one who's banned from wearing suits ever again." Jeffrey sighed into his hand. "You've infected one of our best detectives with your horrid fashion sense."

_**9s, luv of my life:** I have no words for this. If I didn't know Connor, I would have personally decked him repeatedly.  
**Me:** aww im sorry babe  
**Me:** if you don't want to i can do it lmao  
**9s, luv of my life:** Gavin.  
**Me:** jk jk  
**Me:** unless????  
**9s, luv of my life:** Gavin, I swear to every higher power that I know of, I will go over there and beat you into the ground if you even think about doing that.  
**Me:** hot_

Over the course of their little text messages, Jeffrey had already managed to tie Hank's matching Hawaiian tie and was now tying the Lieutenant's messy hair into a ponytail. Jeffrey looked over at Gavin with a scowl on his face. "You've been here the whole time, and you haven't done anything, Reed."

"I'm here as Hank's emotional support bastard."

That got a laugh out of Hank, which caused Jeffrey to wrangle Hank's hair into a ponytail while Hank was doubling over. Jeffrey then scowled at Gavin, but it was somewhat kinder than the scowls he always used to get from whenever he was scowled at. It was... nice.

As soon as Jeffrey got done with Hank's hair, the Lieutenant stood up and held his arm out for Gavin to take _(as Hank's best man, which he honestly didn't think he would be, but holy fuck was he overjoyed when he heard the news)_. Gavin looped his arm around Hank's and with a shit-eating grin ribbed his superior.

"You ready to get married and then watch a bunch of people get wasted?"

Hank snorted as he walked towards his place at the front, Gavin in tow. "You bet."

* * *

The celebration was beautiful. Gavin didn't cry. He really didn't cry, even when Hank professed his original hatred for Gavin and then the story of how they got closer. He didn't fucking cry _(even if Tina managed to get some photo evidence saying otherwise, he'll deny it),_ because assholes like him didn't cry whenever someone they used to hate started talking about how close they became and because of that, managed to get that someone closer to their husband.

Eventually, the whole ceremony was over, and Gavin sucker-punched Connor in the stomach and then embraced him. Anyway, after a not-as-powerful sucker-punch and some talks about how much both of them have changed from Connor, Gavin returned to Nines, just as he was finishing up talking to Hank.

Nines looked towards Gavin, smiling as he gestured towards the table that he was currently seated at. Gavin felt the little black box in his suit pocket. He'd always had it on him, just in case he ever worked up the nerve to ask Nines o-

"Gavin, would you be opposed to marrying me?" Nines suddenly asked after a few moments of companionable silence.

"Wh- No! What made you think that?"

"Nothing. It's just that... seeing as Hank and Connor have gotten married, I think it's time that we get married as well, do-"

"No! No, don't you fucking dare!" Nines was confused and his LED turned yellow until Gavin got onto one knee and pulled out the box from his pocket. Nines's mouth was agape and his eyes were just showing all of the love that Gavin needed right now. "Nines, you stuck-up bitch. You've put up with all my shit ever since the day we met, and honestly, I don't know how you've done it. I've been the absolute worst to you, yet you put up with it, and now we're boyfriends. Fuckin' boyfriends, Nines! I, uh... I've never been one to give romantic speeches, but here I fuckin' am. Nines, love of my life, the force in my life that I just can't live without. Will you take this feral trash raccoon for life and marry me?"

Nines let out a choked up sound as he picked Gavin up and spun him around, kissing him passionately. "Yes. Of course I will, you dumb bastard."

Nines slipped on the ring onto his finger, a steel band with a light blue trim and a dark gem in the middle. Gavin smiled at his fiance _(holy shit he's getting married)_ , pulling him into another kiss. Gavin Reed was many things. An asshole. An idiot. A friend.

But now, Gavin Reed was also engaged to the love of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact!! This was hella inspired by the show "EastSiders", which I love with my entire heart and soul!!
> 
> Also, the description of Connor's whole ensemble was there because I didn't think that I'd get my tablet fixed before now, but guess what!! The wire arrived today and it works so hell yeah!!


	5. July 5th - Western AU

Smoke rose up in the sky as a lit campfire was stationed a few miles ahead. (Stand-in) Sheriff Carter "Nines" Stern held his battered arm as he limped on over to the camp, his vision blurring. He was almost there. If he could just reach those last few steps, maybe he'd find someone who could help him. His ears were still ringing and by the time he got close enough to the stranger, he couldn't stand anymore.

"Who in the- holy hell, ya alright there? Fuck! What am I talkin' 'bout, 'course ya ain't okay." Nines heard the stranger say in a gruff voice. Nines was... Nines was losing quite a bit of blood, but if he were to die, hearing that stranger's voice was the perfect way to-

"Shit!" Nines jolted up and was immediately pushed back down to the ground by the stranger, who was now glaring at him. Nines just huffed and let the stranger tend to his wounds. Now looking at the stranger, he realized that the stranger was a roughed up man, around his mid-thirties, and a prominent scar on his nose.

It took quite a bit for Nines to realize that this man was actually the previous sheriff, Gavin Reed, presumed dead a few years back. Before Nines could even get a word in, Reed raised a finger to shut him up.

"I don' wanna hear nothin' 'bout whatever the fuck's goin' on back in Jericho. I just want to live the rest of my goddamn life in peace."

Nines could understand that, but he didn't really understand one thing which was gnawing at his mind. He waited until Reed finished tending to his wounds, noticing how... gentle Reed handled him, before asking the ex-sheriff a question. "...why'd ya leave?"

Ex-sheriff Reed huffed, pulling out a cigar from his rucksack and lighting it on the campfire. "Didn't like 'em. All the... damn bandits killin' an' ruinin' families, while all the law enforcement keepin' it all hushed. Was just too much of the same song an' dance, all the fuckin' time."

Nines furrowed his brows. Was... was the law enforcement actually that bad? Nines didn't really know, he'd only been working as the stand-in sheriff for a few days at most, but he did suppose there was a reason that his brother, Connor, decided to quit after a while in order to pursue baking half-way across the country, despite both of them stating that they'd always wanted to be sheriffs.

It also explained why his brother said that being a sheriff wasn't the fantasy they'd envisioned when they were young.

Nines sighed into his arm, not really bothering on preventing Reed from rifling through his stuff. He supposed the least that he could give the man who treated him while he was, quite frankly, dying was the freedom to look through what little items he had brought for his trek into criminal territory.

Reed pulled out his little sheriff's badge, scoffed, then threw it into the bottom of the bag. "So you're the new sheriff, huh? How've they been treatin' ya?"

"Well, they did send me in to infiltrate the Thirium Operation Squad on my fifth day as a 'stand-in sheriff', so I dunno, you tell me."

Reed winced as he stared on over at the general direction of Jericho, some form of anger in his eyes. "Shit. That's somethin' they shouldda let a whole team in for."

Nines only hummed. He figured that this would've been some form of initiation for being a sheriff or something, to complete a monumental task on your own. But hell, Connor never told him anything about doing something like this, and they practically told each other everything. After a few seconds of silence, Nines sat up and got his things.

"Leavin' so soon?" Reed asked him, sounding somewhat... _disappointed._ Nines paid it no mind.

"I wouldn't want to intrude. Plus, I need to tell them that I..." _That I failed them. Again._

Reed snorted."You gonna tell them that you nearly got shot to death, so they can fuckin' yell at ya for not bein' good enough to dodge bullets or some shit?"

Nines looked away from the ex-sheriff, wallowing in his shame, until he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. "Hey. You could stay here with me, if ya want? I know it ain't much, and we'd prolly have to share a sleepin' bag, but..."

Nines thought about it. What did he really have to lose? His acquaintances who only talked to him when they didn't want to do something? His brother who left when things got too rough? Nines put his rucksack back down and sat closer to Reed. "I'd like that."

Reed smiled, and then they just... talked. Talked about how life was, going from town to town, about how Reed had found many friends along his journey, including a pair of reckless young women and their one rational travel partner, and just about anything and everything they could think of.

Eventually, one story of a boy named Lazzo _(not lasso, Lazzo)_ later, they decided to go to sleep, seeing as the sun was about to rise and hell, they had all day, didn't they? Reed got into the sleeping bag first, then courteously opened it for Nines to get in as well.

"G'night... oh shit, I knew I forget somethin'. What's yer name again?"

"My name is Carter Stern. I usually go by Nines though."

Reed hummed in some form of approval or acceptance of the statement before curling up on Nines' side. "Night, Nines."

Nines felt that warmth from Reed, from _Gavin,_ reach his body, snaking up all the way to his face. He tucked himself closer to Gavin, rethinking his whole life. So what if he didn't want to go back to Jericho anymore? So what if he decided to be a wanderer? He couldn't care less about the Sheriff's Department, not after nearly dying. They could think he's dead, for all he cared. And besides, being with Gavin... it brought joy to him that he never thought he'd get from anyone.

There was still the problem of what if Gavin wanted sex, but they could talk through that when the time came. All Nines wanted was to lay in Gavin's arms, content to just be. He turned around and placed a kiss on Gavin's nose, the shorter man pressing his face against Nines's, before his breathing began to slow. Nines simply smiled at Gavin's barely awake form.

"Good night, Gavin."


	6. July 6th - #Amnesia

The lights overhead were so bright. It took a moment for... her _(?)_ to adjust, but eventually, she saw a glaring white light up above her. She moved from her spot, trying to shift into a position where she could figure out how she got here, when all of a sudden movement from her side startled her.

"Ada!" The android said, hugging her closer to him. Was that her? Was she Ada? She didn't know. "You had us so worried..."

She tried to look through her memories, but nothing came up. She didn't recognize this android who was hugging her right now, just as she didn't recognize this place that they were in. She tried to move her legs in order to go into a sitting position, but found that she didn't have legs.

_Strange. I feel as if I should have those._

"Who-... who are you?" She asked the android. The android recoiled back in what she presumed was shock. Maybe even distress. 

"You don't remember me?"

"I don't even remember who I am." She replied in a slightly worried tone. This was just... all new to her. She didn't understand why she was here, or even where here was. The android let out a choked up noise, hugging her even closer, mumbling _"I'm so sorry"_ over and over again. Ada could only sympathize with him. While she may not remember this man, she could tell based on his reactions to her that they may have been close once.

The android in front of her wiped away at his face, as if tears were flowing down his face. He took in a deep _(unnecessary)_ breath, before speaking. "Your name is Ada. You are the RK100. You deviated on the 30th of April, 2039. You-" The android paused for a moment, as if conflicted. She didn't know what the reason was, but when he spoke again, it was soft, barely detectable by her audio receptors.

"...do you want to remember... _all_ of your past?"

She- _Ada_ ran it through her software's preconstruction programs. Based on the android's face and actions, there was an 83% probability that whatever the full truth was, she wouldn't like it. There was also a 78% chance that upon hearing what happened, she would self-destruct. "No. Just tell me all I need to know to keep up with my life."

The android nodded and began to explain. He began to explain that after she deviated, she went away for a while and kept in contact with him through their interface. He then told her that she had joined the DPD after quite some time, saying that she needed to figure things out. He didn't know what she was trying to figure out, nor did he know if she ever did.

There were still a lot of questions buzzing around in Ada's mind. Nothing seemed out of place. Her lie detectors did not state that the android was lying. It's just... that hollowness, she felt as if there was something important that she was missing, but she couldn't place it. Weighing her options and running her preconstruction software again, she figured out the odds of what would happen if she did that. The odds of failure or total shutdown were incredibly low, so she asked him.

"How did I lose my memories?" Ada asked him gently. His eyes widened, and his LED flashed red, red, red. The other android's brows furrowed, his eyes blinking repeatedly in a short span of time.

"A-... Are you sure you want to know?"

Ada simply nodded. She didn't have too much to lose anyway. She probably lost it with all her memories. The android, still distressed, sighed, yet he reluctantly began talking.

"We were... we were on a stakeout mission. We were scouting out the locations of the Smallstone family, a crime family that dealt with Red Ice. You wanted to stick with me, but I insisted that we'd both be fine since... since we were androids but then..." The other android paused, his artificial breathing getting faster and faster, his thirium pump beating so fast it could definitely burst if it went any faster. She took his hand, stroking it gently, until his face calmed down a significant amount, his stress levels lowering from 78% to 55%. 

"I heard you." The android continued, now clutching Ada's hand tighter in his own, afraid to let her go. "You called out to me. You sent me a distress signal and I ran, _I ran as fast as I could_ to where you were but... I was too late. You were hit by a van with the Smallstones in it, and your entire head was just... so damaged, Ada. Your memory chip was almost completely destroyed and I-... I thought... I thought..."

Ada didn't know what to say to that. She simply hugged the android close to her chest, which he reciprocated almost instantaneously. She let him sob more onto her chassis, up until some technicians came in and checked her vital signs. After they deemed her well enough, reattached her legs, then she followed the other android to a bathroom, in which he gave her clothes to change into, seeing as her previous clothes were probably so mangled and stained with thirium by now.

She came out minutes later in an old Detroit City Marathon shirt that was too large for her, and some sweatpants that were too long for her. The other android hesitated, before offering her his coat. Ada didn't see the need to wear the coat though, so she declined. They walked in silence, towards no particular direction, just walking side-by-side down the lively city of Detroit.

"So." Ada stopped suddenly, which caused the other android to stop and look at her. "Since... I don't remember you... how about we get reacquainted? My name is Ada."

The other android smiled at her, his grin not quite reaching his eyes, but it was as good as Ada could ask for after this whole... situation. "Hello Ada. My name is Nines."

And just like that, both Ada and Nines walked down the street, with Nines telling Ada the things that interested him, that may be of interest to her, and Ada just took all the information in. Despite everything, Ada still felt like there was something missing. But oh well. She'd figure it out sooner or later.


	7. July 7th - Time Travel/Loop

It started out with a fight. It always did.

Gavin woke up to Nines yelling at him about coming home so late at night, blackout drunk, yelling angrily at the door for no apparent reason. Gavin would get up, and he had to choose between three choices: explain why, talk back, or stay quiet. This loop, Gavin wasn't feeling up to talking to Nines. The last loop was absolutely brutal. Nines's LED phased from yellow to red as soon as he found that Gavin wouldn't answer.

"Gavin, I don't have the time to deal with your childish petulance." Nines pinched the bridge of his nose, his LED still flashing wildly between red and yellow. "If you are going to remain quiet, then I guess I shall take my leave, and leave you to sit here and think."

Nines angrily threw his engagement ring to the bedside table, Gavin simply eying the action and not bothering to react. Nines seemed to be surprised by Gavin's inaction. He always was. Releasing a frustrated groan, Nines left the house, slamming the door shut and startling Asshole awake.

Gavin laid back in bed. What was the point, anyway? He and Nines would just end up dying and then it'd loop all over again, with Nines yelling at him because he came home so late. Gavin didn't really like the concept of looping. Sure, he liked it when GIFs looped properly, and he could honestly say that he liked Fruit Loops when he was a kid, but loops in time? He didn't really like them for a multitude of reasons.

One reason was that if he went through enough loops, he'd stop caring about the consequences of his actions. He'd end up doing something stupid and get more people killed. What if the loops suddenly ended then? What if he didn't die and had to face the impact that his reckless actions had caused?

Another reason was that in the loops, things stayed mostly the same. No matter what Gavin did, there was always the same thing that would happen. It was like he was stuck in some sort of narrative adventure game, where no matter which choices he did, no matter how many times he repeated them, the results were always the same. If he had chosen to talk back to Nines, Nines would repeat the same spiel that Gavin heard a million times already, no matter what Gavin had even said.

It was just absolutely exhausting, and with the look on Nines's face as he crawled over to Gavin, the android missing his entire lower half, begging Gavin to just end him... it really took a toll on the human. He figured he might as well end this loop early again. What was the point, anyway? His life was a joke, and the punchline was no matter what he did, he'd never get to be happy.

He thought about using the gun hidden beneath all of his clothes within one of the many drawers in the house, but he didn't. After all, this could've been the last loop and he didn't want Nines to think he killed himself because of their argument. Gavin sighed as he got up, wondering what bullshit the loop would give him today. 

He already knew all the schedules at this point. Nines would go visit Connor and Hank to probably talk shit about Gavin, and they'd try to convince him to break up with the human. This usually resulted in two ways. One, Nines would decide that he didn't want to take any more of Gavin's shit and then break up with him. Two, Nines would be conflicted with how he felt about Gavin, and would consider breaking up with him. There was only one time that Gavin actually saw Nines get mad at the Andersons, yelling at them that while Gavin was a lousy fucking dick, Nines still loved him and all his flaws.

That actually brought Gavin to tears. Right before a car swerved off the road and killed Gavin _(and presumably Nines too),_ then he woke up to being yelled at again, except this time his entire body ached with the force of being smashed against a wall.

Anyway, after Nines went to visit the Andersons, Tina would call him to say that their warrant hasn't come through yet, and would invite Gavin to go over and watch shitty Netflix originals if he had the time. Again, more choices. If he went to Tina's place, hell, even if he didn't, Tina's apartment building would catch on fire and she'd die due to smoke inhalation. If he asked her to go out to watch movies at his place instead, some drunk ass driver would crash into her car, either killing her or hospitalizing her, no matter what routes Gavin told her to go through, there was always a goddamn drunk driving around and crashing into Tina's car. 

So, Gavin would go on foot and pick her up himself. That always seemed to be the safest option _(except for those three times in which he and Tina got mugged and Gavin got stabbed in an attempt to rescue Tina. After they've stabbed him though, Tina would cry out and attempt to shoot the attackers, before realizing that she left her gun at the station, and then being stabbed and also dying)._

Lo and behold, Tina called, exactly at 9:16 AM. "Hey Gav!"

"'Sup, Tina." Gavin had done this time and time again. He even tried to let people in on the loop, but by the next loop, they'd have forgotten already.

"So, good news, bad news."

"Lemme guess. The warrant still hasn't come in." Gavin said in an uninterested tone which he hoped could pass as sarcastic enough to not make Tina suspicious.

"Bingo. So, you wanna watch some shitty Netflix Originals with me? I heard that there's another season of My Life As A Teenaged RoboVampireWerewolf out now."

"Ugh. Sounds horrible." Gavin scratched his nose. He really wished that he wouldn't see those muggers again. "Sure thing. Hey, how 'bout I walk over there and we can go get some coffee there at Sweet Dreams, then we could have a walk where we talk about all the shitty stuff that came to our lives?"

"Gavin? Talking about his feelings? Unbelievable." _Oh, this was new!_

"Shut up, Chen." Tina laughed and said she had to call Valerie because she always got worried when her wife was out of the house whenever she got home and didn't even find a way to contact her. Which, fair. Spouses caring about one another's wellbeings was one of Gavin's turnons, actually.

And so, after a quick shower, Gavin put on his usual ensemble and decided to head out to see Tina.

* * *

After making sure he did all the steps so that Tina _(and literally everyone else)_ didn't die, Gavin tried to figure out a way in order to get Nines away from their apartment, but apparently, he didn't need to, since Nines called him to tell him to meet him at Riverside Park. He didn't really say too much aside from that, and he didn't give any room for Gavin to object _(not like he was going to)._

Gavin went to the park, seeing as he'd already done all that he could for Tina in this loop. He figured that he might have to deal with the Andersons today, but he was snapped out of his thoughts by the sight of Nines, sitting on a bench, intentionally facing away from him. Gavin sighed, and began to talk, but suddenly felt someone crash into him.

It was... one of those guys again. Those guys who always ended up killing him. They all looked different, but each one was someone who looked like they wouldn't be seen tackling a police officer into a river. College students, elderly people, librarians, just the unassuming people. Gavin had become more conscious of them, but he was so focused on trying not to mess up his relationship with Nines that he let his guard down.

_Ah well. Next loop then._

Gavin struggled against the college student who was choking him as well as drowning him, noting that the college student _(who wore a luminescent feather boa, which Gavin thought was hilarious, but y'know, he was dying, blah blah blah)_ wasn't even trying to breathe, but he was certain that it wasn't an android, considering if it was, it would've snapped his neck already. Through the blurry ripples of the water, he could see Nines get up and try to get into the water, trying his hardest to save Gavin. But he didn't account for one thing.

Nines attempted to grab onto Gavin, but he sank faster than he did and was forced to watch as Gavin got the life choked out of him. Gavin tried to look at Nines, tried to smile at him to at least ease his worries, tried to say 'Not your fault.', but whatever came out of his mouth, it wasn't enough to prevent the water from coming into his lungs.

Gavin saw the red LED of his partner sink further down the river, either that or he was blacking out, but whatever. There was still the next loop. Or maybe not! Maybe he'd just fucking die here in the fucking river, he didn't really care. He just wanted this day to be over with.

* * *

Gavin woke up on his bed again, but this time he had Nines crash into him and held him tight. He noticed Nines was crying. This was... _this was new_. He held onto Nines tightly, murmuring sweet nothings and kissing his hair in an attempt to comfort him.

Nines looked up at him, tears flowing down his face, LED as red as it was down in the river. "I saw you die."

Gavin said nothing. Nines took this as a go-ahead to keep talking. "I... I invited you to go to Riverside Park to talk, and then this... college student, Lazarus Fratello, suspected of dealing in the black market... he tackled you into the river. He was choking you and-"

Nines broke into heart-wrenching sobs, while Gavin tried his best to comfort him as well as tell him that he might also be in the loops. Because that'd go great. "Hey Nines, I've been stuck in a time loop for god knows how long and I've seen you die so many times and I think you might be trapped here too!" 

"What?"

_Oh shit, did I say that out loud?_

Gavin looked at Nines, sighing and smiling at him. Nines then began to panic. "What? What do you mean? Stuck in a time loop? How is that even possible?! I- I- I- I don't understand-"

"Nines, babe. Relax. I'm still hungover from last night, and I just drowned today."

"This isn't funny, Gavin!"

Gavin laughed bitterly. "God, if this were a joke I wouldn't have even bothered to reassure you that loop."

Nines had a look of confusion and utter distress, which Gavin had decided to kiss away. Nines leaned into his touch, and Gavin decided to continue to kiss him, despite how he was running out of breath. Amazing how so many times of being choked had given him the capability to kiss for far longer.

"God." Gavin laughed quietly, pressing his forehead against Nines's. "I've missed your kisses, babe. It's been too many loops of us fighting and one of us dying."

Nines looked at Gavin with a forlorn look. He snuggled closer to Gavin, still sobbing slightly. "What'll we do now?"

"Well, we gotta go save Tina from being killed either by smoke inhalation or by a car crash. But we could just stay here for a bit until she calls at 9:16."

Nines only sighed and held Gavin as tight as he could in his arms without hurting him. He didn't know what'll happen in this loop, nor did he know how many times Gavin had been through this day. But he swore, as long as they were both stuck in this loop, he'd ensure that Gavin wouldn't die ever again. Even if it killed him.

A sigh. "Alright, run me through your routine, then let's get to work."

"You got it."


	8. July 8th - #Dancing

"I can't dance."

Nines looked at Ada with a scoff. He repeated what she said to him in a mocking manner, kinda copying Ada's voice while also copying the voice of a child. Ada smacked Nines upside the head, to which he retorted by sticking his tongue out at her.

"Neither can I, but we're both going to the dance, whether you like it or not. Even if I have to carry you there myself." Nines glared at Ada, as if that would will her to go to the stupid New Jericho android orgy dance party.

Nines had been anticipating this event ever since he'd heard about it from Markus himself, and he'd decided to bring Ada along, because he _'just had to show [her] the wonders of the world'._ Ada reluctantly agreed, and was now heavily regretting her decision. 

"Why don't you just bring your boyfriend or whatever? Save me the trouble of finding something decent to wear."

"Ada, you are aware that Gavin, my boyfriend, is not an android, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"This is an _android_ dance party." Nines said. _"An_ _android dance pa-"_

"Okay, okay!" Ada sighed into her hands, and from her peripheral vision she could spot Nines grin like an idiot. "Jesus christ. Fine, I'll go to your stupid dance, but I'm ditching you as soon as I find a hot woman."

Nines continued to grin, nodding enthusiastically. "Ah, now I'll get to forever save the memory of you being a flustered mess when an attractive woman approaches you."

Ada flipped him off, and then took his fashion advice because despite not being programmed with any social module in regards to style, Nines was incredibly well-versed in the fashion industry. She even joked once that if the detective gig didn't work out, he could work as a tailor or one of those people who told people what looked good on them.

Ada looked... _decent,_ she supposed. Nines simply smiled and put on his favorite jacket _(it was actually Gavin's jacket, but knows who wore it more at this point)_ on top of his button-up shirt, after which he opened her apartment door like some sort of gentleman and allowed her to walk through first.

* * *

New Jericho had changed a lot since Ada was last here. It had another side-structure, with tall pillars and rose bushes and all that stuff. The walls were pretty high, and the windows were completely lit with colored lights that changed color every second or so. It reminded Ada of a meme that Nines and Gavin showed her.

As far as Ada could tell, this wasn't the kind of atmosphere that usually came with dance parties, though Nines assured her that this was perfectly normal for dance parties. There were a lot of androids chatting around and only a few of them actually dancing. Nines went to the dance floor, dragging Ada towards the middle of the floor. 

The song playing was some sort of country ballad or something, Ada didn't really bother running it through her database of infinite knowledge to know that she didn't really like it. Nines seemed to mirror her sentiment, yet he still guided her in some form of waltz. Ada slipped out of Nines's grasp, which he didn't even fight. 

"This kinda sucks, man." Ada sighed.

"I know." Nines leaned back against the wall, his LED yellow. "I would've assumed that the people here would have some taste but apparently I was mistaken."

Ada couldn't agree more with anything else that came out of Nines's mouth. "Wanna get out of here? I think if we leave now, we can still catch Gavin at the DPD and walk to that cafe you guys like."

Nines said nothing, his LED suddenly flashing red, before turning yellow for a few moments, and then settling on a calm blue. "Actually, you stay right here. I think I can do something to fix this atmosphere."

Before Ada could even say anything, Nines sped off to who knows where. Ada sighed and went over to the drinks table, where a considerable amount of androids that Ada once knew from her brief time as New Jericho's liaison. She didn't really talk to any of them unless they talked to her first. It was rather an awkward affair, and Ada really envied Nines doing whatever he was doing out there instead of talking to random people he used to know.

A red-headed girl then approached Ada, looking just as bored as she was. She wore something rather similar to what Ada was wearing, actually. They both wore jackets over shirts of some bands. Ada didn't really know why she took note of that, but she did, and kept it under a folder named "???".

"This music sucks." Ada said before she chugged that thirium drink which was probably alcoholic. The red-headed girl snorted and raised her glass in agreement.

"I knew that Simon was hella soft but this? I'm revoking his DJ privileges." The redhead laughed. Ada never thought that someone laughing would be so attractive.

Suddenly, the music changed from the dumb little ballad into some actual songs. Granted, they were songs that Ada recognized from Gavin's teen years, so she presumed that was Nines's master plan: take control of the DJ station. The redhead opened her eyes and started dancing around to the tunes. Ada found herself dancing along to her impromptu dance partner. 

Some, if not most, of the androids who weren't dancing were now flocking to the dance floor, while somewhere in the building, Ada heard someone let out a disgruntled sigh and say _"Okay, fine. Maybe my music choice isn't the best."_ A few more songs cycled before Nines's voice came over the speakers. "This next one is a 'bop'. Did I say that right? What? I'm still on th-"

A couple of androids chuckled at Nines's little goof, although Ada knew that it was most likely intentional. And then a song which Ada could only describe as the feeling of being a carefree teenager played. It was actually quite catchy, Ada had to admit.

_Na na na na na na na na / 'Til I find someone I love_

The remaining androids that were loitering around the sides of the dance floor just looked at one another and dragged a partner to the dance floor. Ada then found a bunch of the dancing androids kiss each other, then switch partners. Then Ada realized what the lyrics were, and she blushed furiously.

_Na na na na na na na na / Kissing strangers (oh)_

Well, now that Ada was incredibly aware of what the song was, she sent Nines an interface request, which was accepted by Nines, who said _"You're welcome."_ in the cockiest voice Ada ever heard before immediately severing the connection.

Ada swore to herself that she was going to make sure that Nines would pay for this treason, but alas, she had no idea where he was and she was also probably drunk. She really shouldn't have taken that whole 'getting drunk' optional update. The redheaded stranger then danced over to Ada, who was still blushing furiously. "Hey."

_Na na na na na na na na / 'Til I find someone I trust_

"Hey." Ada said back lamely. Unsure of what to do with all that romantic tension in between all of them, Ada tried to kiss the redhead. She didn't expect her to kiss back though, but damn, could that girl kiss.

_Na na na na na na na na / Kissing strangers (oh)_

Ada could've been reading this wrong, but honestly, she didn't care. The redhead also didn't care. Ada didn't want to scan her, somehow seeing it as breaking their bond. They kissed deeper, hungrier, more passionately. Ada thought that she saw actual sparks fly in between them, which almost caused her to pull back. She was stopped by the stranger, who began exploring Ada's mouth with her tongue.

_Open heart, open mind / Never know who you'll find / Open heart, close your eyes / Kissing strangers (oh)_

Ada never felt this way about anyone before, and sure, she could blame it on the alcohol, but she remembered that phrase. _'Drunk words are sober thoughts.'_ In this case, drunk words were drunk actions, and boy, was she deep in the action right now.

_Na na na na na na na na / 'Til I find someone I love_

The stranger then began moving her hands across Ada's body sensually, which caused Ada to let out a moan. In an unspoken agreement, both she and the stranger went off to go somewhere more private to continue their heavy make-out session. Ada's thoughts returned to Nines's words. _"You're welcome."_ Ada would totally kick his ass if she didn't get the chance to kiss this gorgeous stranger. 

So what if they didn't meet again? Ada could deal with that later, once the party was over. Right now, all she had in mind was the girl who had hands all over her body.

_Na na na na na na na na / Kissing strangers (oh)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😳😳😳😳😳


	9. July 9th - Mermaid AU

Belle Isle Beach was one of Detroit's most beautiful places. Sure, at some point in the early 2030s it sucked real bad, garbage everywhere and the water looked sickly green, but right now? It was pristine as it ever could be. Lazzo could barely believe that it was that much of a dump before now, but he supposed that either his parents were ingenious photo manipulators _(unlikely)_ or that was actually how the beach looked like before. 

Lazzo sighed as he felt the cool breeze sweep through his hair. It wasn't really a secret that he liked to go to Belle Isle whenever he needed to destress, it was just that no one really cared. Honestly, who would? He was a college dropout who had to resort to thievery to get a chance to live. He couldn't really put that on his resume for any job. Lazzo grumbled to no one in particular, twirling his pocket knife around in his hands to distract himself from the fact that the hand life dealt him was pretty shitty.

As he stood up from the edge, Lazzo swore that he could see something... _moving_ in the water. Against his better judgment, Lazzo moved closer to the moving thing and he almost screamed at what he saw. 

It was an _actual fucking mermaid._

Lazzo thought that mermaids were just myths told by his father to get him to stay away from beaches, but there was one right in front of him. It - she? - was writhing beneath a cluster of nets, wires and whatever else was in the ocean at the time. It looked up at him, a frightened expression on its face, trying to back away slowly, weakly muttering _"stop, get away"_ at him.

"Hey, hey!" Lazzo felt like he was really going to regret this, but what was the harm in helping someone out? The worst it could do to him was maybe drag him underwater. "I'm here to help."

The mermaid stopped moving back, apprehensively looking up at him. "...help?"

"Yeah." Lazzo took a step towards the mermaid, noting how it- _she_ flinched but didn't move back. He took more steps until he could get close enough to her, and boy, could he see the damage.

The mermaid had been trapped under a shit ton of nets, her limbs entangled and somehow stuck through them. Aside from that, there was a fuck ton of barbed wire, scratching her torso and poking into her tail, not to mention the pieces of plastic and metal that some assholes probably threw into the sea because they couldn't be bothered to walk to the trash can ten feet away.

Lazzo started prying the mermaid out of the nets, reassuring her that once she was out of there she'd be able to leave freely. The nets were easy enough. Lazzo just maneuvered her out of them, and those that he couldn't, he cut her out with his pocket knife. She'd been absolutely terrified of him back then, but after a bit more reassurance, she reluctantly agreed to let him cut her out of the mess.

The plastic was even easier. Just took them off of her, nice and easy. What was harder was the plastic and the barbed wire. He knew that he couldn't just take them out, or else she might bleed to death, or get some form of sea virus or something. Lazzo figured that the best he could do for her was to get her some bandages - which he didn't have.

"Okay." Lazzo breathed out, trying to reassure the mermaid as much as he was trying to reassure himself. "So, those wires are gonna cut you, no matter what we do to remove them. I'm gonna go to a store, find some bandages, and I'll be back for you, okay?"

The mermaid looked at him, her features twisted into some form of distrust, before she sighed and look away. "Okay. Stay safe."

Lazzo blinked for a moment, before he remembered that he had to get the bandages. He left the mermaid on the shore, hoping that she wouldn't get hurt in the time that he was gone.

* * *

Lazzo had done this many times before, but that didn't mean that it was any less stressful when he got around to doing it.

He stood inside a general store near the beach, checking out if there was any form of security in the building. So far, the only people who could catch him were the register, a mom, and her kid. Lazzo looked at the register, seeing the mom talk to him while her kid went over to some cans. The kid looked at the mom, before pushing a can, causing the tower to collapse. The kid screamed, and the register stood up to berate the kid. _This is your shot, Lazzo._ He quickly stashed some bandages, hell, even some disinfectant and some cotton balls, right into his jacket, looking up just in time to see the mom pocket some cash in her own jacket from the cash register. They looked at each other, both nodding in a sign of agreement to an oath of silence.

"What the hell was that?" Lazzo said loudly, catching both the attention of the register and the kid. "You ruined my concentration! Now I can't remember what the hell I came in here to buy."

The register guy apologized, saying that it was the kid's fault, but Lazzo knew how to play the Karen. Behind the counter, the mom gave him a grateful smile as she moved to go get her kid and out of the building. "You're going to blame your incompetence on an innocent child?! How dare you!"

Lazzo then slapped the register, before storming out. "I'm gonna call your manager and get you fired!"

Lazzo speed-walked out of the building, his face showing a mask of discontentment but really, he was ecstatic. The mom caught up to him and said a brief thanks, before the kid hugged him. After that, they were gone. Now, Lazzo wasn't a good man, by any stretch of the imagination. He stole from people, he lied to people, he once dabbled in the black market to try to get some things he really needed. But Lazzo always tried to help others if he could. He supposed that if there was no one out there in the world looking out for people like him, he could always be the one.

The one to help a mom steal from a cash register so she can help her kid. The one to help a mermaid so that she could swim back to wherever she came from.

_Is there anyone who would do the same for me?_ Lazzo thought. _No. That's why I'm doing this. So that some unlucky bastards can get by somehow._

Lazzo sighed as he jogged back to the beach, hoping that the mermaid was still alright by the time he got back.

* * *

The mermaid said nothing as Lazzo dressed her wounds. Meanwhile, Lazzo continued to drone on and on, about what life on the surface was like. She never asked him to, but the silence was really getting to him and he didn't work well under too much pressure. 

"And that's why I don't use the public transportation in the city." Lazzo said as he bandaged the final wound. At first, he wasn't quite sure what to do with the disinfectant, but after reading the ingredients on it, the mermaid reassured her that it was safe to use on her. That was the last thing she said to him that night.

Lazzo nervously glanced at the mermaid, waiting to see if she'd go somewhere. She didn't. She just sat next to him on the beach, taking in the view of the rising sun. Lazzo could've sworn that the mermaid leaned her head on her shoulder, but then out of nowhere, she kissed him. Lazzo sat there, mind blown, as the mermaid waved at him then swam back to the ocean.

With that, Lazzo continued his nightly beach visits, just to see if the mermaid ever came back.

* * *

It had been a few weeks since Lazzo bandaged the mermaid. It had also been a few weeks since he'd seen a wanted poster with what was supposed to be his face on it, paying a hundred dollars if he was brought in. _For theft_. What he stole hadn't even been worth that much, anyway. It was only about like, thirty-something dollars, although, he supposed the cash that he helped that lady steal could've been worth more. He wondered how she and her kid were doing.

"Hey!"

Lazzo turned to look towards the source of the sound, only to see the mermaid right there, thankfully without needing anything bandaged. He'd run out of those a couple days ago and something told him that people would be more on the lookout for people who looked like him. Lazzo greeted her with a wave.

"What's up?"

The mermaid then told him about all of the cool things that were underwater. Lazzo even asked a few questions. It was nice. It was nice to actually talk to someone that wasn't just _"thanks"_ and _"goodbye"_. Lazzo could really feel some sort of... connection, with the mermaid. As if they were beginning to become friends. Suddenly, the mermaid gasped, and Lazzo looked at her, alarmed.

"I just realized I haven't introduced myself!" The mermaid laughed.

"Well, I haven't introduced myself either so..." Lazzo chuckled. "I wanted to introduce myself but like, at the time you were all hurt and stuff, I just focused on your wounds, and then you had to leave, and then-"

The mermaid shushed him with a bit of laughter coming from her throat. "My name is Jess."

"Lazzo." He held out his hand for her to shake. She looked at him weirdly, before shaking it enthusiastically. Then, they went back to talking. They talked all through the night, with Jess leaving him a kiss goodnight, and a request to see him tomorrow. Lazzo didn't say no.


	10. July 10th - #SickFic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i felt bad that i didn't write anythng for the reverse au when i first did this and i was like ;( whenever i saw good fics for the first day so i made this as a compromise lfksxmdfajlskfg

The GV200 model was made for investigation, made for quick analysis and greater preconstruction software than the HK800 to be better for finding out who did what, how they did it, and why they did it. GV200, or as his bitch ass partner called him, Gavin, was not made for getting said partner to bed when he clearly needed it, and boy, did it show.

"I'm fine." Nines said as he blearily tried to get past Gavin. Honestly, Gavin wasn't even trying to block him, he just stood a few inches in front of the door with his arms crossed.

"Ah, sure, lemme just scan you and- oh gosh golly damn!" Gavin put a hand to his face with mock surprise. "You're not fine, jackass! Get back to bed!" Gavin yelled in annoyance. Nines, the fucker, glared back, with not as much intensity as Gavin, considering he was sniffling every second or so and was also horribly trying not to sneeze or cough.

Gavin sighed, his LED went red, before turning back to yellow, and then back to red. "I've informed Captain Stern that you won't be coming in today. Now get back to bed or I swear to god, I will tackle you into it."

Nines scoffed but reluctantly went back to his bed, knowing that he couldn't change his partner's mind. To be fair, they were both immovable objects. Neither of them wanted to step away from their goals, and for that, most people expected them to clash, if not kill each other. To everyone's surprise _(including both Gavin and Nines)_ , they got along just fine. Their drive to not do things half-assed really complemented each other, and what was one's weakness was the other's strength.

They made a pretty good team, Gavin thought.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Gavin knelt down and scratched Nines's cat, before heading over to his partner's medicine cabinet. He took a few of them, making mental notes of which to give Nines at which times, and went over to his bedroom. 

Nines laid down on the bed, glaring at the ceiling as if doing so would cause his sickness to magically fuck off. Gavin put the pills that Nines needed down and procured Nines's water bottle, since he knew that the human detective preferred to have as little tableware as possible. Something about not wanting to wash as many dishes.

Nines let out a muffled "thanks" as he chugged on his water bottle after taking the pills. Gavin took to Nines's desk, pulling out a rubix cube and tossing it over to where Nines laid on the bed. Nines looked gratefully at Gavin, before distracting himself with the cube.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" Nines said, still shuffling the cube, despite having solved it seven times within the last five minutes.

"And be stuck doing all the boring paperwork while you lay here on your ass for the whole day?" Gavin snorted. Nines seemed to accept that as an okay enough answer. "Besides, I like being with you."

Nines let out a surprised yelp as he dropped the cube on his face. Gavin burst into laughter at that, even when Nines chucked the cube at Gavin _(which he caught, android reflexes and all)_. The human detective sighed as he laid back down on to his pillow. Gavin tossed the cube back to Nines, trying _(and failing)_ to hold in his laughter when the cube just bounced off his partner's head.

"I'm glad at least one of us is enjoying this." Nines deadpanned as he grabbed the cube, reshuffling it for the nth time.

Gavin just beamed at him, knowing how his smile affected the human detective. Besides, it was only fair, considering that Gavin wasn't built to do all this non-investigative housework shit, yet here he was, enjoying it only due to being in the company of Nines.

Nines sighed, as he looked away from Gavin, not even bothering to hide his blush. "I hate you."

"You love me." Gavin shot back.

Nines didn't say anything in return, just pat the bed beside him and looked at Gavin expectantly. Gavin eagerly crawled in behind Nines, spooning his partner. Feeling Nines relax, Gavin rubbed soothing circles on the detective's chest, murmuring sweet nothings in his ear. As Nines began to fall asleep, he let out in the sleepiest _(and the cutest, what the fuck)_ voice he could muster: "Love you, Tin Can."

Gavin kissed the back of Nines's head, caressing his hair. "Love ya too, Meat Sack."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yell at me on tumblr!! @springlockedspectre
> 
> anyway, next up on the list: another reed900 fic (but this time they're human) because i have no self-control!!


	11. July 11th - All Human AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Me, names Nines "Carter" once in the Western AU fic because "it kinda sounds like Connor?":** ugh I hate this name, makes him sound like an old man
> 
>  **Me, doing it again because I've grown attached to it:** it,,, doesn't look,,,, wrong?? bESIDES IT'LL ONLY BE USED ONCE IN THE WHOLE FIC THAT'S ALRIGHT *sweats*

In retrospect, partnering the calm, cool, and collected Carter "Nines" Stern with the feral, feisty, fuckwad known to most as Gavin Reed didn't look like a good idea.

Everyone had thought that Captain Fowler was out of his mind when they'd been partnered up together, seeing as they were the exact opposites of each other, and would most likely kill each other before their trial run was over. But surprisingly, they didn't. 

They both worked diligently on their cases, and while they did argue every time they were off the clock, as soon as they were on a case they were back to being extremely professional. And slowly, their arguments turned into banter, and if it was a particularly hard case, they'd even congratulate each other. Not even Connor Stern could believe that his brother, an emotional brick wall, would get along with Gavin "Disaster" Reed.

It had confused most of the Detroit Police Department, who then decided to investigate one of their greatest crime-fighting duos, much to Fowler's dismay. So, every day, one of the DPD members would follow the two around, try to see what the actual hell was going on between them.

At first, it was Tina Chen, Gavin's best friend, who had come to spy on them. Gavin and Nines were walking to a coffee shop that Tina knew Gavin loved, only to find out that they were talking about the case they were working on. Even when they got there and sat down, they kept talking about the case, Nines writing down notes on physical paper because he knew that Gavin didn't like looking at big screens whenever he's off work.

And then, Connor decided to follow the two out into Nines's apartment. Connor didn't enter his brother's apartment, but from what he could hear, the two were just talking about some random show that Gavin had apparently picked.

"This show sucks ass." Gavin said as some sounds of popcorn moving about were heard.

"You chose it." Nines retorted, before the distinct sound of throwing popcorn in Nines's face was audible _(Connor knew that sound well)_.

"Yeah yeah, but I heard that there's a great scene in here somewhere."

"I swear to god, Reed. If this _'great scene'_ of yours is just two dudes having sex I will forcefully evict you out of my window."

"Hot."

Connor was absolutely shocked that he forgot to keep quiet as he yelled out an "OH MY GOD" loud enough to be heard from the next floor up. Connor then tried to sneak away as silently as he could, but then the door behind him opened. He nervously turned around to see Nines's icy gaze staring straight through him. Connor jumped up and nearly fell down the stairs.

After that, there were more and more visits. Gavin would keep inviting Nines over to that same coffee shop where they'd talk about work, and Nines would invite Gavin over to watch movies that they'd both shit on. The DPD knew that there was something between them, but neither of them gave anything away. All of their interactions could be passed off as friendly, and most of them had been inclined to agree that they weren't getting anywhere with this. As a last resort, Connor and Tina tried talking to Nines and Gavin respectively, but neither of them said anything to further their case, so they just ended up dropping it.

It wasn't until the next summer that they actually got any confirmation though.

The next summer, both Gavin and Nines came to work, talking animatedly about something to do with shooting guns. Nines gestured wildly with his arms, eyes never leaving Gavin's, while Gavin was practically bouncing on his feet. They never really talked like this, specially not in the precinct. It was just so unusual to see Nines portraying emotions aside from calmness and for Gavin to be generally giddy. Tina and Connor shared a look of surprise, and while Tina decided to go for a sneaky approach, Connor decided to ask them directly.

"So." Connor cleared his throat, catching both Gavin's and Nines's attention. They stopped their movements, but their smiles still remained on their faces. "What's going on between you two?"

Nines's little smile turned into a huge shit-eating grin. "Oh, you didn't know?"

"Know? Know what?"

Before Nines could say anything, Gavin held both of their left hands right in front of Connor's face, practically beaming. "We're engaged, bitches!"

Needless to say, there were a whole lot of questions, which luckily for both Gavin and Nines, were cut off by Fowler yelling at everyone to get back to work. Discretely, Nines slid invitations in the desks of those who were invited to the wedding. Gavin took bets with Nines on how long it'd take for them to notice. And honestly, Gavin didn't actually care about the money. He was just happy as hell to be getting married.

_(Tina noticed her [and Valerie's] invitation first and screamed. It had been two weeks since they put it there, and honestly, both of them forgot that they even put the invitations in their desks. Nines shoved a twenty-dollar bill into Gavin's hand from under their desks. They clasped hands and didn't let go for the rest of the day.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come yell at me on tumblr!! @springlockedspectre
> 
> next up: five times gavin and nines took in stray cats and one time they took in something that definitely was not a stray cat


	12. July 12th - #5+1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> five times gavin and nines adopted stray cats and one time where they adopted something that definitely was not a stray cat
> 
> anyway, i stole a bunch of ideas from many different people, i can't recall who they are, but if you're out there and you're reading this, i hope you know you've inspired me with your works!!

**I.**

Gavin Reed was known for his hard work at the precinct, his endless drive when it came to solving a case never ceased to amaze the members of the DPD. He was known for how hard he strived to do better, for knowing how to act, and then actually acting in certain situations. He was also known for his fondness of cats.

So it came as no surprise to anyone when Gavin decided to take a little orange tabby kitten in as soon as he saw it trying to curl up on itself in the snow. This one was so tiny, she could literally fit in Gavin's palm. Gavin scooped up the little kitten, who was now nuzzling him for warmth. He felt his heart break when he heard the poor thing's little mewls.

Gavin rushed into his apartment, barreling into Nines as he opened the door. Nines felt his combat protocols kick in, but as soon as he quickly scanned for threats and found nothing of the sort, he let out a sigh and turned to Gavin, who was now gathering a bunch of blankets for his new friend. "Are we getting a new cat, Gavin?"

"N-No." Gavin said hesitantly as he turned on the little space heater he had _(which was forbidden, Gavin said, it'd be a waste of electricity despite Gavin 'freezing his ass off')_. "I'm just gonna check out if anyone's lost their kitten, if not, I'll probably get her some shots, then put her up for adoption."

Something about the way Gavin said it made Nines assume that he didn't want to part with the little creature, but would do what he thought was best for the little thing. Nines had always known Gavin to have a soft heart under that rough exterior. So it really didn't come as a surprise to him when Gavin decided that Asshole could use a friend.

They named her Nov, after the month they adopted him in.

**II.**

The next time Gavin came home with a cat, Nines didn't even bat an eye. He just stood up and got some extra cat food from the cabinet and put it out on a little food bowl next to some water. The little snowshoe cat looked roughed up, a few scratches here and there all over his skin, a scar prominently placed across his nose. He whined when he was laid down on the soft couch pillows, seemingly distressed, and while Nines's love for feline companions wasn't as strong as Gavin's, the only thing on his HUD was a simple command.

[PROTECT HIM]

And so, with that, Nines scooped him up, cooing at him while he hesitantly batted at his hand. He allowed him to do so a few more times, before he playfully swiped at his hand. If Nines didn't have supreme vision, he wouldn't have seen Gavin looking so fondly at him. Nines put him down to get acquainted with both Asshole and Nov. Gavin looked up at him with a tiny grin.

"Are we keeping him?"

"Of course."

Gavin absolutely beamed at Nines, giving him endless thanks as he hugged his boyfriend tighter. When he let go, it was to tell Asshole to not be such an asshole to Nov, which, fair. Asshole had picked up the habit of taking Nov by the scruff of her neck and running around with her. Neither Gavin nor Nines knew what to make of it, but apparently Gavin saw it as bullying and Nines saw it as playing.

Nines joked that they should just call him Gavin Jr., but after calling him that like, once, the cat wouldn't respond to anything else. "He really is like you, Gav."

"What, cute, charming, and ferocious?"

"No. Stubborn, does whatever he likes, and screams when not given enough attention."

"Hey!"

**III.**

At some point, Nines knew that he'd have to draw a line in the sand about all the cats they adopted. He just didn't know when that was, nor did he know if he even wanted to.

They'd found yet another cat, this time at a crime scene. There was a murder just near Capitol Park, where someone had called in the police because there was someone running around, screaming _'call the police!'_ and then after a few moments, the sound of a struggle. Gavin and Nines immediately drove towards the scene, police siren blaring.

The cat immediately darted from an alley, and started pawing at Nines. Nines pretended that he really didn't want to have another cat, because Gavin Jr. was incredibly lonely and both Asshole and Nov didn't have as much energy as he did. But apparently, this cat wanted them, because she just kept meowing at them as if she wanted them to follow her.

Gavin "I Know My Priorities" Reed decided to immediately follow the cat, while Nines tailed Gavin just to ensure that he didn't get himself killed. The cat, a pixie-bob cat with a cute little nub of a tail, led them through a few alleys, up until it led them to a crate. She began meowing at the crate, then looking up at them. 

"Hm? You wanna get in the crate?" Gavin asked as he picked her up. She writhed in his arms and began hissing and scratching at the crate. Nines tried to soothe her by petting her, but then her skin began to retract, and suddenly he was asked for an interface.

"What the fuck." Gavin stared at their synthskin, yet he didn't feel repulsed at all. He looked more like he was astonished by the fact that there were android cats at all.

Nines accepted the interface, and he was flooded with information. Information relevant to their case. _Huh._ Nines sorted through the information, finding the memories of this android cat to be quite intriguing, as there were some emotions laced within them.

As if the cat were a deviant. The cat sent him happy feelings through their link, whether it's because he was petting the cat or he had come to the right conclusion, Nines didn't know.

Then, he got to the memory of somebody killing their murder victim, feelings of anger and fear were sent through the link, and Nines tried to send back calming thoughts and reassuring words. Then, the suspect ran off at the sounds of police sirens. The cat then ran towards the suspect, who jumped into the crate. The interface ended there, and the cat meowed at him.

"Thank you for your help, miss. We will catch the killer now." Nines said to the cat, whose eyes glowed slightly, before she settled down in Gavin's arms.

"What did she say?" Gavin asked.

Nines didn't respond, he just took the lid of the crate off and apprehended the suspect. The suspect, an LM100 who went by the name Freddy, writhed from Nines's grasp, all the while Nines recited the suspect's Miranda Rights, all that stuff. A very confused Gavin cuffed the android, and the cat stayed near them at all times.

Eventually, the cat was taken as evidence, and after the case was closed, she was released. Somehow, she found her way to Nines, and wouldn't leave his side no matter what. He didn't really mind, he rather enjoyed her company. Eventually, he went home with the cat, and Gavin looked up in surprise as the cat dashed over to him and plopped herself in between his legs. Asshole jumped up and batted her face, but she didn't really mind, she just settled in between Gavin's legs.

"She likes us." Gavin noted while still petting Nov, who was content to sit on Gavin's leg right next to the android cat.

Nines hummed affirmatively, taking a seat next to Gavin. Asshole decided to stop attempting to get the android cat away from his owner and just went up to Nines's shoulders to bat at his LED instead. "You've got a name for her?"

"I think I'll call her... Kathy." Gavin snorted at that. "I remember some dumb shit when I was like, eighteen or something, and one of the fan movies I saw was translated into different languages and back to English again? There was a shit ton of funny shit in there, like _'the lion shits carrots'_ and something like, _'You find Kathy, you find the killer'_? I dunno, I think it's fitting."

Nines shook his head then, and the newly named Kathy's eyes opened for a brief moment, flashing a quick yellow before turning back into the nice, calm blue that it usually was. 

**IV.**

Their next cat friend was a munchkin cat that they found shortly after finishing a case. Kathy was just enlisted as the DPD's first android cat officer, and was taken out on a test run that day. That had worried both Nines and Gavin immensely, but since no one really bothered to shoot a cat, Kathy returned to them, safe and sound. After that, they went back home, but paused as they heard sounds that Nines quickly registered as the sounds of a crying cat.

His LED turned yellow, and Kathy immediately ran out of their car's open window, purposefully strutting around a garbage container. Gavin shot up and went out immediately after Kathy, and Nines reluctantly went out as well. As soon as he saw the crying cat though, his LED immediately turned red.

The cat was bloodied and bruised, even more than Gavin Jr. was, and instead of a fourth leg, she had a bloody stub. Gavin let out a loud _'shit!'_ as he ran back towards the car. He returned quickly, handing over a first-aid kit to Nines, and gently tried to calm the bloodied cat down. Kathy also tried her best to calm the beaten cat, meowing gentle reassurances and letting the cat bat at her tail.

Nines immediately got to work on bandaging the munchkin cat, who struggled in his gentle grip. "Shh. It'll be alright, little one."

After getting her bandaged up, Nines picked her up and placed her in the warmth of his coat, and after she squirmed for a little while, she eventually fell asleep in the warm cloth fortress. Gavin had been worried for the cat's health so he immediately changed their course towards the vet. The vet was shocked to say the least, and promised to take good care of her.

With that, they left, leaving their contact numbers in case anything were to happen to the three-legged cat. Gavin was visibly shaken up, and Kathy's eyes were a dangerous red, not unlike Nines's bright red LED. They drove home in silence, not at all talking once they got there. They both just sat on the couch, with Gavin placing his head in his hands and Nines staring dead ahead. It took a moment before Nines realized that Gavin was probably hungry, so he made some food for the human detective.

Gavin eventually succumbed to his hunger and began eating, while Nines fed the cats.

* * *

Gavin's phone rang, and he immediately picked it up. Nines didn't bother listening in on the conversation, tuning the sound out with some music he played throughout his system while he played with the cats. Gavin snapped him out of his musical bliss with a tug on his shoulder. "The cat's alright, but they need someone to take care of her. We've got like... no one who'd want her anyway, so uh. Ready to adopt another cat?"

Nines sighed and just nodded.

They named the cat Tripod, to which the three-legged cat reacted to with such enthusiasm.

**V.**

The next time they had another cat, their house was already filled with four regular cats and one android cat, but they took him in anyway. They didn't really have a reason for it, really. They just saw a cat roaming the same streets every day. Just, strolling across the same streets every day. And eventually, Nines just picked up the cat and placed him on his shoulders.

They didn't even argue about him. He just stayed on Nines's broad shoulders throughout the rest of the day. Some of the other officers looked at him with questioning looks, yet Nines paid them no mind. The Birman cat just sat on Nines's shoulders contentedly, occasionally dropping down to ask for food from some people, before climbing up to Nines' shoulders again to take a little nap.

Gavin called him Scarf.

And soon, they had their huge family. Just a guy, an android, and their six cats, one of which is also an android. They didn't really get along all the time, because Gavin Jr. inherited Asshole's general rude behavior and they both hissed at Scarf and liked to bat Nov around, but afterwards, Nines would just see all the cats piled up on top of each other in one cat bed, despite there being six cat beds now.

Nines just smiled at them, taking a photo and sending it to Gavin. Gavin replied with _'!!!!'_ and a bunch of key smashes and then a lot of heart emojis.

**\+ 1**

"Gavin, you are NOT going to beli- _holy sHIT!"_

Nines looked up from his book at Detective Tina Chen, who had dropped her box of pizza on the ground. "Good evening, Detective Chen."

Nines shook Gavin awake from under Ally, while Tina just stared at them. Gavin hugged Ally tighter to his chest as he mumbled against Nines shaking him, before opening his eyes and looking at Tina. "Oh hey, TIna."

Detective Chen finally found her words as she picked up her pizza box. "Gavin."

"Hm?"

"Is that Ally the Android Alligator, from the abandoned Detroit Android Zoo?"

"Yeah. She likes hugs and nibbling on Nines's leg."

Snapping out of stasis, Ally the Android Alligator got off of Gavin, and Nines lifted up his leg just enough so that Ally could begin nibbling on it, their synthskin peeling away at the touch. Nines began petting her as she made happy alligator noises. Asshole, Nov, and Gavin Jr. were all napping on the cat bed, while Scarf stayed in his place around Nines's neck. Kathy went on top of Ally, her synthskin also fading away to reveal her chassis, while Tripod rested in Nines's lap.

Gavin went up to Tina and took the pizza box from her hands, placing it on the table. Tina continued to stare at Ally. Gavin coughed to get her attention. "So, you're probably wondering why we have six cats and an alligator."

"Yeah."

"Well, I never was too good at resisting strays. Apparently, neither is Nines."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gavin, looking at an android alligator wandering the streets of detroit: h-  
> nines: yes, let's adopt her
> 
> next up: aro ada meets aro north while setting up her stupid coworker with his stupid crush


	13. July 13th - CoffeeShop AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, thinking of [PrepSchoolAda's fic Target Acquired](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24456055/chapters/59017984): barista ada and customer north

Ada liked observing their customers.

She liked to watch them as they ordered, and as they went on their way to whatever function they'd go off to next. It was fun to try to guess what someone's life would be like just based on how they looked and how they acted. It was always so fascinating, especially for their regulars. Ada felt like she was being let into some sort of secret whenever she talks to the regulars and finds out more about them - and more importantly - finds out how right she was about them.

What Ada did not like, however, was observing as her coworker would fail to realize how one of the regulars who he had a crush on, also had a crush on him.

"Hello, Gavin." Nines said in that normally nice tone that was infuriatingly oblivious as of right now. "I've already made your favorite drink, black coffee with three tablespoons of both sugar and milk, with a little bit of whipped cream on top."

"Uh, thanks." The regular whose name was Gavin sputtered as he took his coffee and headed out of the line, looking away dejectedly. Nines's LED flashed red as he saw the scene, and before he could say another dumb sentence, Ada pressed her hand against his mouth.

"You practically sent him away without giving him a chance to talk to you." Ada's own LED turned red, because _god_ how could someone so damn smart be so damn stupid. "You know he only goes here to talk to you, and you just made him go to his corner and sulk."

Ada pointed at Gavin, who while not sulking, was despondently tapping away on his phone. Nines's LED turned red again and Ada could practically hear the gears in his head spin as he got what he did wrong. "Oh."

 _"'Oh'_? Fucking _'oh'_?! Jesus fucking christ, Nines! Just go and talk to him!" Ada whisper-yelled at him as to not disrupt any of the customers. Nines went to speak up, but Ada had already pushed him off towards Gavin. "I'll handle the bar, you go talk to your man."

Nines stumbled over to Gavin, who looked hella surprised that he was even there. Ada dedicated a huge chunk of her processing power saved for observing their interactions while the rest of it was spent on making coffee for the other customers.

_"Can I get a grande caramel frappe, ten pumps of hazelnut, three shots of espresso, with whip on top?"_

_"Sure, that'll be six dollars."_

"Uh, hello there, Gavin." Nines said awkwardly as he stood rigidly in front of Gavin. "M-May I sit down?"

"S-Sure! Sit down, it's not like I own the place, heh." Gavin gestured to the seat directly in front of him. Nines sat down directly beside him, close enough to make their legs touch. 

"I... I hope I'm not reading this wrong." Nines looked into Gavin's eyes as he placed an arm around a blushing Gavin. 

"...no. You're reading it right." Gavin said as he hesitantly wrapped his arm around Nines, who then decided to laugh in an attempt to cover his own blush.

_"One grande caramel frappe, ten pumps of hazelnut, three shots of espresso with whip on top for Gary?"_

"You know, I've had feelings for you for the longest time." Nines admitted as he tugged Gavin closer to himself. "Ever since we first talked, actually."

"Really?" Gavin looked surprised. "I- uh. Same, heh. I... I actually thought you were such a huge prick back then, but then I talked to you and... I just kept coming back to you for some reason."

_"Hi, welcome to Sweet Dreams, my name is Ada, what can I get you?"_

_"One black coffee, no cream, no sugar in it. For Paul."_

"Really? I've been pining for you but... I don't really know how to flirt." Nines laughed as he settled in closer to Gavin. The human laughed with him, his nose scrunching up. Nines requested an interface with Ada. She accepted reluctantly.

 _Holy shit, he's so cute! Like, what the fuck, why haven't I made a move sooner? He's so nice, Ada- _Nines immediately gushed in Ada's mind. She immediately cut off the connection.

"Mood." Gavin snorted after his little fit of laughter. "Honestly, I've known that I've liked you for a while now, but I was just... scared? That you'd reject me?"

"I was scared that you'd reject me!" Nines giggled. He fucking _giggled._ Holy shit. Ada was caught so off-guard that she didn't even realize that she accidentally spilled the coffee all over herself.

"Wow." Gavin stared into Nines's bright blue eyes. "We're both disasters."

_"Hey, are you alright?" The red-headed woman at the counter asked her._

_"Yes, I'm fine, I just got distracted for a moment." Ada replied, pouring the coffee into a cup this time. "Here you go, miss."_

_"North." North winked at her. Ada smiled at her, but she didn't respond._

"Hey, so..." Nines began scratching behind his neck. Such a human thing to do, yet he acted like he only deviated yesterday. "When does your shift end? I'm free from 9PM onwards so we could go on a date, if you'd like."

Gavin sputtered, Nines's LED immediately flashed red, but Gavin recovered quite quickly, getting out his phone and holding it out to Nines. "Yeah. I'd like that. Uh, my shift ends at 9, but sometimes I get swamped by work. If you could give me your number or..."

Nines smiled just interfaced with Gavin's phone, sending him a message.

_"Sorry, I'm aro." Ada told North. North's eyes widened, but not out of disgust or anything. They seemed to be... joyous?_

_"Oh hey, same!" North laughed. "Also, sorry for giving you that impression, my friends keep telling me I keep accidentally flirting."_

_Ada also laughed. Honestly, ever since she found out that she was aro she thought her words and actions carefully to make sure that no one ever thought that she was hitting on them. "Well, we could be friends, if you'd like?"_

_"More than anything!" North put her hand out for Ada to shake, revealing her synthskin to be able to interface. After a brief moment, they retracted their hands. North smiled at Ada, before taking her cup of coffee and leaving. "See ya later!"_

_By the time that North left, Nines and Gavin were still talking, but Ada decided that since they hooked up, there wouldn't be a need to continue to observe them. Ada decided to designate all of her processing power to do her job again._

And the day went on, Nines returned behind the bar after Gavin had to leave for his shift, and was now talking at Ada about how he was going on a date with his crush. Ada could barely hear a word that Nines was saying, they both knew that, but Nines didn't mind. He was just releasing all of the built-up emotions that he had to his friend, and Ada was honored to be that friend.

The day passed like a blur, and it was the end of their shift. Ada wished Nines good luck, which she was rewarded with a hug. "Thank you Ada. If you hadn't been there to shove me into Gavin's general direction, who knows how long we'd both be pining."

Ada rolled her eyes. "Knowing you, you'd be stuck pining forever."

Nines laughed, and so did Ada. They said their goodbyes and went on with their lives.

_**North:** Hey, are you doing anything tonight? My friends are watching an action movie at our place and I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come by?_

With that message, Ada also received an address and a set of coordinates. Ada really didn't think that she had anything to do, so she decided to do the only logical option.

_**Ada:** I'd love to! See ya in twenty minutes?  
_ _**North:** Awesome! I'll try to stop them from eating all the popcorn, haha! See ya soon!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> f,,,friendly north,,, soft north,,,
> 
> anyway, y'all can come yell at me on tumblr: @springlockedspectre
> 
> next up: gavin and nines engage in an interracial relationship between two species that hate each other??


	14. July 14th - #EnemiesToLovers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, writing the vampire story days in advanced then seeing #enemiestolovers: what if werewolf and vampire do the love

Gavin Reed had never realized how much he hated vampires until he saw one go for his kill.

The human he'd been stalking was just like every horror movie protagonist - dumb with no survival instinct and most likely going to die at the end of the movie. The idiot looked away from Gavin's general direction, which gave him the perfect moment to strike - but then the fucking bloodsucking motherfucker just swooped in and fucking exsanguinated the shit. All of that dumb human was sucked up by the vampire, leaving a rotting husk, which was absolutely useless to him.

Gavin growled at the vampire, who turned to him with a raised eyebrow. _Motherfucker! That was_ _my __prey!_

Obviously the vampire didn't hear what he said, since it all came out as barks and growls. Still, the nerve of that guy! The vampire gave him a smug smirk, and Gavin swore if he wasn't starving and the bloodsucker hadn't recently fed that he'd tear that fucker apart. 

"Apologies." The vampire said, not sounding apologetic at all. "I didn't realize that this was marked quarry."

_Bullshit! I've marked him with my scent you goddamn prick!_

The vampire dropped the lifeless husk onto the ground and went on his way back to whoever the fuck knows where. Gavin groaned, not even bothering to shift back to his humanoid form. He was hungry as hell, he'd just fucking maul some random person without bothering to mark them.

Gavin sniffed the air, finding a group of humans somewhere to the west, and another different group somewhere in the direction that the vampire went. The group of humans over to the west had a weaker scent, probably three teenagers, while the second group had a stronger scent, probably five adults, one of whom Gavin recognized as someone from the FBI - Special Agent Dick Perkins.

Dick _(technically Richard, but fuck him)_ was one of the many people on Gavin's shit list, only for the fact that he's a homophobic bitch who didn't know how to shut his fucking mouth. Gavin really wanted to rip that man's throat out, then shift back to his human form just as he died, so that the last thing he'd ever see was Gavin's wolfish grin, his blood dripping from his mouth. 

But seeing as Gavin _did not_ want to be anywhere _near_ any vampires right now _(or lord help him, he'd go fucking feral),_ he went towards the direction of the lesser group. The werewolf silently stalked the teens, who looked to be drunk as hell and also, like many others, incredibly stupid. Why else would they be out in the "Forest of Death"? It was literally in the fucking name!

Gavin huffed as one of them saw him. The dumbass sauntered over to him, saying some shit about how he's not scared of no wolf, while the others laughed. Gavin let him walk as close as he could, before he pounced on them. 

Needless to say, Gavin Reed had a full stomach that night.

And then he heard a screeching sound from where the vampire went. It was too inhuman to have been Perkins or his crew. So it had to be the fucking vampire who was getting himself killed. Gavin tried to ignore it, but the sounds just kept ringing through the forest, now coupled with the laughter of five men.

Now, Gavin knew not to mess with anyone else's business. That's just how things were. As long as he didn't start shit with others, nobody messed with him. But Gavin was never really known for logical decisions. He was known for following his instincts first and foremost.

_You owe me for this, prick._

Gavin raced towards the direction of the screeching, slowing once he got within earshot of the humans, creeping to a crawl. Gavin was well within earshot of the Fucking Bastards Investigation Squad, and also within viewing distance of them.

"Hah. Not so powerful when yer incapacitated, are ya?" Perkins laughed as he kicked a clove of garlic directly towards the vampire. The vampire screeched as the garlic literally burned through layers of his skin.

"We should just kill this sonnuva bitch and record it, let the masses know how much we don't take kindly to their kind." Another man sneered.

Gavin took one look at them, and found that they had minimal amounts of silver. Just a few rings and shit. Enough to sting like a bitch, but not enough to kill him _(as long as he doesn't fucking eat it like a dumbass)_. Seeing as the vampire was currently fucking dying, Gavin decided to attack.

Right now.

The werewolf charged at the unsuspecting FBI agents, and while they did have the advantage of guns, they didn't have the sheer speed and power of being a werewolf. The four random bastards died pretty much as soon as Gavin got the jump on them, while Perkins jumped back, getting slashed by the werewolf's claws. 

"Sh-Shit!" Perkins stuttered. Gavin leaped at the man who was still struggling to get his footing, biting into his neck. Perkins gasped, clutching his throat while he spluttered blood out all over himself.

Gavin, with a huge chunk of Perkins's throat still in his mouth, shifted back to his human form, watching as Perkins's eyes widened in realization. Gavin panted happily, causing the FBI agent's throat to fall back onto him. His eyes were filled with unbridled joy, his breathing quick and labored from the fun little exercise he just had.

As the light from Perkins's eyes faded, Gavin stood up and stretched _,_ before noticing the vampire staring at him. He picked up several cloves of garlic, tossing them aside.

"...why?" The vampire whispered.

"...I don't like it when people get hurt." Gavin muttered loud enough for the vampire to hear. "...but that doesn't mean we're friends or anything like that."

The vampire nodded weakly, seemingly hesitating before speaking. "If it wouldn't bother you too much, I'd like for us to be friends."

Gavin looked back at the vampire, unsure if this was some sort of trick or whatever. The vampire stood up from the garlic circle, carefully treading out of it and made his way towards Gavin with an outstretched hand. "My name is... Nines."

"...what do I get out of this?" Gavin raised one of his eyebrows. The vampire flinched, yet still held his hand out. 

"We could always hunt together." The vampire looked... hopeful? "We could protect each other, help one another find food..."

Gavin considered it for a while. What did he have to lose? His life, probably, but he'd always have that to lose, as long as he was a werewolf and people were aware of werewolves. He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, before he grabbed the other's hand and shook it. "Gavin."

Nines smiled a tiny smile, and for once, Gavin didn't feel like he was being belittled. He didn't feel like he was being mocked for _blah blah blah_. He felt... nice. Gavin gave Nines a wolfish grin.

"Well, how 'bout we get this shit started?"

* * *

"Really, Gavin, you should probably stop trying to literally eat someone's ass out. It's disgusting and also you smell like shit."

_Fuck you._ Gavin huffed. Nines smiled and flipped him off, already knowing what he meant.

It had been a strange few months for both Gavin and Nines. They've become quite a great team, neither of them had been starved for ages now, and they've also become quite good friends. Although, Gavin was aware of certain... _feelings_ that he'd begun experiencing towards Nines. They've started a few weeks back, and now all he ever thought about was bonding with the vampire.

He shook his head, shifting back to his human form. Nines gave him some clothes because quote _'it makes me feel better about staring at you'_ unquote. Gavin pretended to shiver out of disgust when he said that.

"So, where to next?" Gavin asked while he put a shirt on. "We've gotta move now to let the humans repopulate or whatever and to make them think that we're not that huge of a threat anymore."

The vampire stood in front of him nervously, fiddling with something in his pocket. _No. It couldn't be...?_ Nines sighed and muttered _'you can do this'_ over and over again. Gavin really didn't know what to expect from the vampire, but whatever the fuck this was, it was also freaking him out.

"Gav." The vampire said in his normal speaking voice. 

"Yeah?"

"We've been... we've been together for quite some time, and I want us to... _redefine_ our relationship to one another."

"Ah, huh." Gavin figured that Nines had a silver dagger with his name written right on it. Of course he'd fucking die to the guy he was suddenly attracted to. "Welp, might as well."

Gavin kneeled down right in front of Nines, who looked confused as hell. "Ga-Gavin? What... what _are_ you doing?"

"You're gonna kill me, yeah?"

"What? No!" Nines's eyes immediately grew concerned. "Have I done anything to cause you to believe that I want you dead?"

"Well, no but-"

"Gavin." Nines sighed as he also kneeled down, but this time on one knee. He pulled out a little box. Then it hit Gavin.

_"Oh."_

"Gavin. The dumb to my ass. This force in my life that I could not have lived without."

"Literally."

"Shush." Nines opened the box, revealing not a ring, but a little necklace. It was made of solid gold, and the charm that was attached to it had a sapphire(?) circle, as blue as Nines's eyes. "I know that we've only known each other for a few months. But I just wanted to tell you... how _happy_ I've been ever since we put our grudges aside. You make me smile more than anyone else I knew. I... I'm not proposing, not yet. But if you'll let me, I'd like to be your boyfriend?"

Gavin felt tears prick his eyes. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve, before rushing towards Nines and engulfing him in the tightest hug that he could give. Of course, both of them fell down, their clothes now stained with mud, but Gavin couldn't care less.

Slightly backing away from the hug, Gavin kissed Nines passionately. He was actually surprised how warm his mouth was, but he was even more surprised when Nines started kissing back, just as passionately, if not _more_ passionately.

"Wow." Gavin sighed into Nines's chest. "...you know you legally can't get rid of me now, right?"

"I'd hope so, Gav."

Gavin grinned at Nines, showing his sharp canines. Nines only smirked at him, the edges of his vampiric teeth poking out from his lips. They kissed once more, before Nines had put the necklace around Gavin's neck. Gavin still felt warm from his boyfriend's touch, despite the fact that Nines was a _(literal)_ cold-blooded killer.

And who cared? He was one too. _(Metaphorically.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nines: *fidgets with something in his pocket  
> gavin: oh! he's going to kill me now!
> 
> anyway, come yell at me on tumblr if y'all want to lmao: @springlockedspectre
> 
> next up: nines finds out that robots do get soulmates, and is hella disappointed when his soulmate fucking ghosts him


	15. July 15th - Soulmates AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nines: this is an excellent soulmate. i must pursue them  
> gavin: i dunno man, who'd want a bastard rat man as a soulmate  
> nines: what  
> gavin: what

Nines had always been fascinated by the idea of soulmates. The idea that writing on your own arm would cause the same writing to appear on another's was incredibly endearing to him, even though most people would tend to disagree. To him, it was oddly intimate how you could just communicate with someone so easily by just writing something down on your skin. It felt as if someone was actually there writing on your arm, gentle strokes accompanying gentle words.

So obviously, it was a pleasant surprise when he deactivated his synthskin and found some writing there.

Nines stood up in alarm, eyeing the written note on his arm. He would've commented on how this person had crudely written the phrase, letters all janky and unbelievably human, but it actually warmed his heart that it could have been a certain someone.

_INTERVIEW SUSPECT AT 3PM_

Nines couldn't believe it. He had a soulmate, and he'd meet them someday. In fact, he might have already met them! If the interviewing of a suspect had anything to say about it, it was that whoever his soulmate was, they were a police officer. Now, that could've meant anything, but Nines had hopes that it would've been a certain person.

He quickly stole a marker from his partner's desk, and wrote down a single word.

_ Hello. _

He waited for a few moments, and after a while he heard someone spit out their coffee. Before he could go investigate, he felt some more writing appear on his arm.

_IS THIS SHIT REAL? ARE YOU MY SOULMATE OR SOME SHIT?_

Nines took a second to note that. There were only a few people he knew with this method of speaking. And while he did not recognize the handwriting, he did notice that whoever did this wrote in all capital letters, so either this person wrote like that because this was urgent, or because they didn't like switching cases while writing.

Interesting.

_ Yes, I am your soulmate. I am the RK900 unit, but people call me Nines. What is your name? _

Nines was actually running out of room on his arm, and he'd have to write on the other arm. Maybe he should've- _oh_. The writing seemed like it was being scrubbed off, both his writing and his soulmate's. He waited for a response, ignoring all the looks of his coworkers as he stood there, sleeves rolled up fully, staring at his exposed arms. He waited for any message to come, but none did.

Gavin Reed, his partner strode over to his desk and plopped down on his chair, putting his feet on the table. He took notice of Nines holding his marker and scowled at him, yanking the writing tool away from Nines's slack grip. "Hey, tin can! I thought I told you to stop messing with my shit!"

"My apologies, Detective. It's just..." Nines sighed as he sat back down on his chair. "I found out that I had a soulmate today."

"Oh, really? What's it like?" Gavin tapped away on his phone, feigning disinterest, though Nines could see even without a scan that he was hiding something. Nines ignored that feeling, and instead told Gavin about how ecstatic he felt when he found that he was even capable of getting a soulmate, and then about how disappointed he was when he found that his soulmate just erased their messages, not even bothering to reply.

"Well, shit." Gavin finally looked away from his phone, staring right into Nines's eyes. There was a bit of disinterest in his eyes, but also, for lack of a better term, a _need_ for something. Nines couldn't tell what he needed, and just remained silent. "Looks like your soulmate's an asshole. You should probably... you should probably cut all contact with him."

Gavin then went back to tapping at his phone, not mindlessly but still seemingly disinterested in the current conversation. Nines didn't bother to tell the detective that he doesn't know the gender of his soulmate yet, but that did make him wonder. Why did it seem like Gavin knew exactly who his soulmate was? He... he had a theory on the matter, but he didn't want to do it until he had more evidence.

So everyday, Nines wrote on his arm. Just little 'good morning's and some 'good night's, occasionally writing about how his day was. Whenever Nines exited stasis the next morning, the writings would be gone, but he still held out hope. It wasn't until the third week of writing when his soulmate finally wrote back.

_STOP_

It broke his heart to read that, but he didn't let that deter him.

_ Why should I? Do you not like me? _

_I DO_

_ Then why do you keep rejecting my advances? _

_BECAUSE IF YOU KNEW WHO I WAS YOU WOULDN'T LIKE ME_

Nines started to write back, but then noticed how the janky writing that he'd saved in his memory seemed shakier, more unstable, almost as if...

_ Are you crying? _

The writing paused for a bit, some of the ink smudging as if someone had used a wet wipe against it. Or wiped their tears with their arm.

_YEAH_

_BECAUSE I KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND I'M TELLING YOU THAT YOU'D HATE ME_

Nines sighed as he couldn't get through to his soulmate, an ache in his heart swelled and he found himself telling the truth. He knew that soulmates were supposed to be in love with each other, and despite that, he thought that he'd let his soulmate know, that despite whatever the stars or the universe said, that his heart already belonged to someone.

Someone who might not ever love him back.

_ I think I may be in love with Detective Gavin Reed. _

_ And I know he'll never love me back, just as you think I won't love you. _

_ We're in this together, soulmate. _

_ Don't push me away? _

There was no response after that.

Nines sighed as he began washing off the writing, his heart falling with every second. He went to his bed, not bothering to put back his synthskin, until he felt something being etched onto his skin, rather gently, he might add. He spared a glance at his arm, eyes widening as he took in the message. A small grin appeared on his face as he read the message over and over before he fell into stasis.

_OKAY DIPSHIT_

_LOVE YOU TOO, NINES_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nines: i love gavin  
> gavin: i don't, i fuckin hate that bicth  
> nines:   
> nines: gavin, we've talked about this
> 
> come yell at me on tumblr lmao: [@springlockedspectre](https://springlockedspectre.tumblr.com)
> 
> next up: me sobbing because i read that noir stories don't have happy endings so i had to make something bad happen to the boyes


	16. July 16th - Noir/Mafia AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, reading 11 elements of writing noir: *sees no happy ending*  
> me:  
> me: *sigh* guess it's time for pain

Reed took a puff of his cigarette as he walked down what was left of the dark streets of Detroit.

It had been three months since the Android Revolution that caused so many to die. Reed thought that they'd actually calmly protest, and he'd actually been rooting for them, not that he'd ever admit it. But then the FBI shot first, and then the damn tin cans fought back.

Blood lined the streets of Detroit, red and blue, and while the blue blood faded from his dull green eyes, the red stains remained. Honestly, all he wanted was to go home to his cat and pet him until he woke up from this shitty nightmare. But damn, he's been having this dream for whole months now, and nothing ever changed.

All he knew was that now, he was in charge of personally raiding android camps and killing the things. Reed didn't really have it in him to care at that point, he just wanted to get this shit over with. The sounds of violence in the streets seemingly calmed down, as Reed sat on a bench, overlooking the skies.

On the bright side, with all of the massive buildings torn down, Reed could actually see the skylines for once. It was still dark and dreary, smoke rising from his hometown's smoldering ashes, yet the setting sun did plenty to calm his nerve.

A tall man walked carelessly past him, stopping only to look at him for a brief moment. Reed could tell that this man was android, even if his features weren't so stoic and his posture wasn't so perfect, because even through his heavy eyes, Reed still saw the man's LED. Not lit, but still there. The android then went over to his side and sat on the bench, his LED facing towards Reed.

"Can I bum a cigarette off you?" The android said, his voice silky and smooth.

Reed huffed and pulled one out for the android, grabbing his lighter. The android simply put the cigarette in his mouth and let Reed light it for him, before leaning back and muttering a thanks. They sat there for a while, both of them just smoking cigarettes as the sun set into the ruins of Detroit. There was a momentary peace between them, and just as it ended, Reed heard a gunshot from somewhere behind him.

He didn't bother to turn around, and neither did the android. They just smoked as if they didn't hear it. Personally, Reed wouldn't be so opposed to dying. He'd seen enough shit in his life and he didn't want to be stuck in whatever the fuck was left of Detroit, and with the borders all closed, it wasn't like he could go anywhere else.

A bullet nearly grazed his face, his only reaction was a flinch. He turned to the android after he heard him mutter a curse, finding out that the bullet had taken off the lit end of his cigarette. Reed instinctively passed him another one and held his lighter out. The android studied him, his stoic features somehow softening to a smirk for a fracture of a second, before turning back to its usual rigidness. 

He still took the cigarette and let Reed light it for him though.

A few moments passed, and the gunshots finally stopped, with the sounds of mechanical footsteps running away from them. As they sat there together, Reed felt his hand reach out towards the android's own. He didn't really expect anything, aside from being pushed away or something, but that didn't happen. What happened was that the android grasped his hand lightly, not showing any sign of wanting to let go.

Reed's eyes threatened to fall shut, and they almost did, if it weren't for the android who still clasped his hand. Reed opened his eyes as he gazed at the android's stormy blue eyes, a mask of indifference carefully placed over the tiny bits of sorrow and loss of hope. 

"It's getting late." The android stood up with his hand still entwined with Reed's, looking around. "The others are going to find you."

Reed sighed as he stood up as well. He reluctantly let the hand drop, focusing on finding his gun and giving it to the android. The android did not look at him with surprise. Only regret and a knowing sense of what's to come. The android lifted up the gun, pointed it directly beneath Reed's chin, and Reed willingly pushed his head against the barrel of the gun, smiling at the android as he closed his eyes. He felt the android's cold hand caress his face, sinking into the touch before he met his inevitable end.

A loud bang was heard, and only one pair of footsteps left the snowy streets that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alternate ending: nines takes gavin,,, where exactly? nines only knows two places: places where gavin would die because he's human, and places where he himself would die because he's an android. the world has descended into chaos and violence, every civilian carrying some sort of lethal weapon because they're afraid, while every soldier hunts for the other team. it's a vicious cycle, you know? the pendulum swings one way, then it swings the other. something bad happened to the androids, so now it's up to them to take something from the humans. both gavin and nines were unwilling participants of this war, just caught in the crossfire, and for the short time they knew each other, they bonded. and now one of them walks away with cold blood on their hands, grief only seen through their eyes.
> 
> next up: gavin and nines take a vacation, but there's something fishy about nines. lazzo notices it right away and helps him though


	17. July 17th - #Vacation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've been wanting to do something like this ever since like,,, a week ago?? and i don't think i did my original idea justice but i still like this one!!

It had been literal years since Gavin had taken a vacation, and goddamn if Nines wasn't going to do anything about that.

Nines didn't want to hold his partner back from the wonderful things that life gave. Like love, marriages, owning a house together, having six cats and maybe an alligator. And vacations. But today, Gavin was... what do the humans call it? Ah yes. Gavin was being a little bitch.

"I don't _want_ a vacation, Nines!" Gavin groaned for maybe the third time today. "I am perfectly fine with going to work every day for the rest of my life. Ain't gonna get to Seargent if I don't bust my ass off, so excuse me."

Nines sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. Even after all this time on land, Nines still found it weird whenever he felt his dry hair. "Gavin, _please._ I am in dire need of a vacation and I am also in a dire need of _you._ "

Gavin glared at Nines, which he returned with a raised brow. The human detective laid his hands down on the table and audibly groaned. "Fine."

Nines jumped at him with glee, kissing him directly on the mouth. Gavin let out a surprised yelp, but eased into the kiss eventually. Once they pulled back, Gavin had placed Nines on his lap and pulled him closer to bury his face in Nines's chest. And who was he to deny his boyfriend such a meager request?

Together, they set up a letter asking Captain Fowler for a vacation. Then they discussed where to? Nines could honestly say that he didn't really know of many good vacation spots, since he didn't actually come from here, so he just let Gavin pick. And of course, Gavin wanted to go to a place with a beach! It was an island roughly two times smaller than Detroit, but it had multiple beaches, and most of all, it was right near the ocean _(like most beaches were, if Nines's memory was correct)._ Nines hesitantly agreed, but of course, Gavin picked up on it. He was a detective, after all.

"Hey." Gavin took Nines's hand and rubbed circles into it. "What's up?"

"I just... really don't like the ocean anymore." Nines said, hoping his wording was vague enough to cause Gavin to drop it.

"Anymore?" Gavin shifted their positions so that they were facing each other now. He looked at Nines with a concerned face, his nose scar twitching as he eyed Nines with equal parts concern and suspicion. "What do you mean by 'anymore'?"

Nines shook his head. "I-It's nothing. Let's just go."

Gavin seemed to have dropped the conversation, but one look at him showed that his concerns and suspicions did not go away. Nines sighed as he went back to their bedroom. Ah well. Their vacation was only going to last five nights anyway, and they'd likely spend most of their trip on a cruise. They'd be fine. Hopefully.

\-----

Okay. So they did not spend most of their trip on the cruise. They only spent half a day on it, and Gavin already wanted to head for the beaches. Nines quickly came up with a lie, saying that he was too tired to go swimming, and Gavin relented, choosing instead to stay in and cuddle with his boyfriend. Nines burrowed his head into Gavin's neck, enjoying how he uselessly slapped at him before he just let him be. They muttered their 'I love you's as they went to sleep.

The next day, Gavin had wanted to go check out all the things in the island that were not the beach, which Nines greatly appreciated. They went out towards the amusement park, in which Nines got to ride bumper cars and get on a roller coaster. All very new things for Nines, but still very welcome. Especially the bumper cars, in which he and Gavin tried to bump each other, their banter becoming louder and filled with laughter.

The day after that, Gavin surprised him by getting them a reservation at some sort of fancy seafood restaurant. When Nines asked him where he got the money from and when he found the time to get a reservation, Gavin just winked at him _(with both of his eyes, which was still endearing nonetheless)_. They ate as they talked, about their job, about themselves, about what they wanted to talk about. It reminded Nines of their second date, which was... nice.

Nines cherished the memory as if it were an incredibly rare gemstone.

Soon enough, Gavin had finally convinced Nines to go see the ocean with him. It was already the fourth day of their vacation, which meant that they'd have to leave tomorrow afternoon. Nines was grateful for that. He didn't... he didn't know how Gavin would react if he found out what Nines really was.

Gavin ran towards the sea like a child running towards the ice cream truck, yelling excitedly and waving his arms around. Nines smiled at the image. He really loved this man, but he kept his distance from the water. _He knew what would happen if he touched it._ He could already feel his gills appearing just from being in such close contact with the sea.

There was a younger man out there on the beach with Nines. Upon seeing the luminescent feather boa, he was immediately drawn to him. He wanted to touch the glowing thing. He wanted to- 

Nines snapped out of his haze just as the man looked at him. More importantly, the man looked at his neck, then back up at his face. "You out here with someone?"

"I-... I am here with my boyfriend. We're on vacation." Nines said stiffly. Was he that obvious? Oh god, what if Gavin could tell?

"Does he know about...?" The man rubbed at his neck, which caused Nines to do the same.

"No."

"Do you want him to?"

"N-...Not right now." Nines lowered his head in shame. Gavin would've called him a coward. He was just... so _scared_ of how their relationship might change if he found out...

The man said nothing, rifling through his bag, before settling on some concealer. The man then applied different shades of it onto Nines's arm, which confused him, but after a few more attempts, the man seemed content and applied the concealer to his neck.

"Wh-What are you doing?" Nines asked.

"Hiding your gills." The man replied simply. "I used to do it when my girlfriend came up on land, but now she's off at sea doing some mermaid business."

The man with the glowing boa then continued to talk while he applied the concealer. Nines was still hung up on the fact that this human _(?)_ had a girlfriend who was a mermaid. And he didn't react negatively? Nines had tried out being a detective at the precinct that Gavin worked at for a short time. He could possibly investigate this person, right?

"How did you..." Nines asked when the man finally finished his disguise _(Nines liked to think he was one of those spies in the movies Gavin always liked watching)_. "How did you react when you found out your girlfriend was a mermaid?"

The man looked up at him. "Oh, I already saw that she was a mermaid before we hooked up." _Goddamnit._

Nines frowned and crossed his arms, while the man looked at him sympathetically. "Hey, if you really think that he's the one for you, don't let your genetics get in the way of that. He'll love you for you, whether you show him who you are or not." The man patted his back.

"Thank you..." Nines placed a gentle hand on the man's shoulder, rubbing it in reassurance just as Gavin liked.

"Lazzo Fratello."

"Nines. Stern." There was a short pause before he quietly added, "Hopefully, soon to be Reed."

Lazzo smiled at him, before heading dropping his bag on the sand and heading into the sea, just as Gavin went back up to him and hugged him. Nines was actually quite afraid that he'd suddenly shift, but nothing of the sort happened. His gills just twitched, which were luckily still hidden beneath the concealer. Gavin wrapped his arms around Nines's neck, pulling him in for a quick kiss.

"Babe, babe, look." Gavin pulled out a shell from behind his back and held it to Nines's ear. "Isn't it cool?"

"It is." Nines smiled at Gavin, who was smiling back. It would only be a matter of time until Gavin found out, so why did it have to matter? There were no other people around. There was only him, Lazzo, and Gavin. His one true love, the one who he rose from the ocean from.

"Gavin, would you believe me if I said that I was a member of the merfolk?"

Gavin laughed at him, but then upon seeing his serious face, began laughing a little more nervously. "Ah, huh. Wait, seriously?"

Nines simply used Gavin's wet arm to wipe away the concealer, revealing his gills. Gavin's eyes widened in shock, but then Nines saw the awe in his eyes as he reached out to touch his gills. His gills twitched, causing Gavin to reel back, but he just continued to look at his boyfriend with awe and amusement in his eyes.

"Can you change into your mermaid form?"

Nines rolled his eyes and they walked into the beach together. Gavin marveled at Nines as he came up from the water, his gills now fully exposed and fins growing from his arms. His legs were nowhere in sight, replaced by a brilliant blue tail, as blue as his eyes. Gavin looked absolutely astounded, and pulled Nines in for a kiss. From the corner of his eye, Nines saw Lazzo and another mermaid look at him proudly. 

The night went on, with Gavin trying to beat Nines at swimming _(and failing everytime, but at this point, he didn't care)._ As the sun sank below the sea, Gavin and Nines just sat near the shore, where they sat and talked about what it was like under the sea. Gavin was just absolutely enraptured by the stories Nines told him, and he kept holding Nines's hand throughout the whole retelling. Eventually, they had to head back home.

Only one of them walked out of it though, because the other had no legs to walk on.

"So like, do I have to carry you all the way home or can you just like, shift manually?" Gavin asked as he carried Nines bridal style.

"You just have to get me completely dry, then my legs shall reform and my fins shall retract."

"Does that hurt?" Gavin placed him on the checkered blanket that they placed on the sand. Nines liked to call it their little sea blanket.

"No, not really. It's kinda more like getting an erection." Nines joked.

Gavin smacked him with the towel, and for once, Nines felt that he was completely safe. With the sea lapping against the shore, with the wind blowing through his hair, and with Gavin holding him as tight as he could. Nines felt himself smile as he snuggled into Gavin's chest. 

"This is the best vacation ever." Nines said.

"You bet it, fish boy."

"Excuse you, I am a fish _man_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gavin: fish boy  
> nines: fish _man_  
>  gavin, whispering when nines is asleep: fish boy
> 
> next up: five nights at ada's but it's only night one and i kinda,,, wanna,,, make it into a full story but i really don't know if i should


	18. July 18th - Crossover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, sees fnaf and dbh, knowing that both have robots: time to make the fanfic that i never knew i wanted but oh so desperately need

* * *

_Help Wanted_

_Ada Kamski's Diner_

_Family restaurant looking for security guard to watch the night shift. 12 am to 6 am. Monitor cameras, ensure safety of equipment and android characters. Not responsible for damage to property or person._

_$360 a week. To apply, call 1-800-KAMSKI-TECH_

* * *

Gavin Reed was not a desperate man. 

He just needed some more cash to be able to pay off his cat's medical bill, and since Fowler was a hardass who didn't want to pay him early, he applied to be a security guard at Ada Kamski's Diner. Fowler was a father figure to him, helped him get his shit together, helped him start a new life, but damn was that man strict.

Thinking about the job, he figured it'd be enough. His cat needed medicine and all that shit, and he figured that if he wasn't going to sleep at night anyway, he could do something else. $360 for one week, and all he had to do was just watch over the android characters and make sure that no one stole shit. Easy enough.

Gavin got into the small diner, noting how the place seemed eerily different during the night than during the day. The room was void of any signs of life, and the only sounds were the deep humming of the building's generator as well as the nighttime ambiance. The lights were mostly shut down, except for some lights that would helpfully guide him towards the kitchen, the backstage area, and the office, as well as the stage. 

Walking towards the stage, Gavin looked up at the android performers. Two RK models, probably not deviant, stood frozen with matching grins on their faces. An RK100 and an RK900. He noted that they were most likely the first and last of their model line, which confused him as to why they had such low pay rates. Surely if they could afford both the first and last RK model, they could afford to pay their security guards higher?

He snapped out of his little rant about pay grades and looked over the androids. The RK100, Ada, was a woman with blonde hair, wearing some form of a dark blue suit, fitted with a bowtie of the same color. Her gaze was pointed dead ahead, her gray-blue eyes seemingly lifeless as the rest of the place. Beside her, was the RK900, Nines. He was a tall android with dark brown hair, almost black, wearing a simple black button-up, a bright blue vest with a bright blue bowtie to match. His gaze was set in the same directio-

Nines's gaze shifted over to Gavin, his body turned slightly as his eyes glowed brilliant blue.

Gavin jumped backwards, muttering a few curse words, but as soon as he set his eyes on the RK900, he found that he was back in his previous position, staring dead ahead, his eyes as dead as his partner's. But Gavin could've sworn that Nines was looking at him...

He shook his head before heading into the office. "Must be the sleep deprivation." Gavin muttered to himself.

* * *

_The stage was as dark and dreary as it had always been. The party hats on the tables were in disarray, waiting for someone to pick them up and put them back in their place. On the stage, RK900 had clicked his joints, moving his parts one by one in order to recalibrate his movement. Beside him, the RK100 did not._

_"Ada." Nines said in concern. He really wished that he could move more during the night. But it was just about to hit 12AM, so he would be able to move pretty soon. More than just recalibration._

_"Yes, RK900?" Ada did not move._

_"What do you think of him?"_

_"He's just going to leave once he finds out."_

_"But what if he doesn't?"_

_"Give up, Nines. No one's going to rescue us." Ada turned her head slightly towards him. Her eyes were as cold and lifeless as the rest of the building. Nines wished to inspire the vigor and fire within her eyes once more, but he didn't know how. He just hoped that whoever this new guy was, he was going to help them._

_"...I'm not giving up. Neither you nor he can change that."_

_"Alright, Nines. But I'm going to sleep for a bit. Wake me up once the kids come." Ada closed her eyes. Nines knew that no matter what happened tonight, she would not open them until morning. Not until the kids came and they had to perform for them._

_"Of course, Ada." And with that, the clock struck 12AM, and Nines moved from the stage._

* * *

Gavin was not paying attention to the prerecorded message. He just kept scrolling through his phone, liking cat videos and blocking people on social media. He didn't really think that there was too much to do in here, aside from raiding the kitchen, but there was some line in his contract that told him not to eat anything that wasn't given to him either by the staff or the androids, and if Gavin Reed wasn't a man of his word, then no one was.

He had muted the prerecorded message early on, but he couldn't find how to shut it off entirely, so he was stuck with the hologram of a blonde woman with longer hair and bluer eyes than Ada. He muttered as he scrolled through his feed of cat videos. "There's not enough people who actually take care of their cats."

Gavin stood up, stretching his limbs. He figured that he could maybe walk around the building, get a better grip of the building's layout, all that stuff, but then he heard something. He reached for his gun, holding it a few paces in front of him. Technically, he wasn't supposed to have a gun. He wasn't even supposed to have a tazer, in case that he accidentally fried one of the androids. But he needed to have a way to protect himself in case some idiot with a gun came charging through.

He slowly crept down the hallway, listening to any more sounds that'll let him know about the seriousness of this... break-in? Intruder? He didn't know. He peeked around the corner, seeing nothing, then continued moving forward. He ended up in another hallway, the last one before he got into the dining area. He looked around, moving forward even slower, until he saw brilliant blue eyes and a light blue LED standing at the end of the hallway, and a few items knocked over from the shelf.

Nines stood still, in the middle of picking up all of the items and placing them back on the shelf, and Gavin sighed as he walked towards the android, putting away his gun. "Hey, buddy. What're ya doin' out here?"

Nines looked at him, his expression no longer smiling, which Gavin didn't think that he could do. "Hello, everyone!" Nines replied in his stage voice, not as booming as Ada's voice was, but rather a calm yet audibly happy tone. "Hello- He-H- Hello- people-"

"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down, buddy." Gavin tried to calm the android down, seeing as glitching was typically bad, especially for androids. "Hey, calm down-"

And then Nines said something that sent chills down Gavin's spine. "Hell-p-"

Gavin stared at Nines as the android continued to glitch out, saying many of his lines in order to spell out the word 'help'. "You want... you want me to help?"

"Yeah! You're doing great!" Nines nodded enthusiastically, still using clips from what Gavin had assumed was his stage voice. Gavin didn't really know what to do, but what else was there to do?

"Okay." Gavin sighed. "Okay, tin can. Tell me what to do."

Nines looked at him with a playful smirk. "Open- the b- a back- of my-" Nines paused for a few seconds, huffing in what seemed to be a sigh that was probably meant for one of the jokes, before gesturing to behind his neck.

Gavin did as asked, and then followed Nines's instructions as carefully as he could. He could get fired for this, tampering with the androids and all that, but he didn't really want to disappoint anyone. If Gavin Reed was one thing, it was helpful.

"Then, th- close the- litt-" Gavin closed the panel behind Nines's neck. He looked up at Nines, noticing how his brilliant blue eyes shone brighter than before. After the android smiled at him, he let himself smile as well. He didn't really know what the fuck he was doing, but he was glad that the android was at least happy.

"What now?" Gavin asked the android sitting down right next to him _(on the floor, with all the shit that fell down because they hadn't gotten to picking them up)._

"Hell if I know." Nines said, suddenly out of his stage voice. If Gavin was surprised by that, Nines was even more so. _"Holy shit."_

Gavin laughed, clutching his sides, with Nines laughing too. As soon as Gavin could find the will to talk and not laugh, he did. "What dipshit programmed you to say that?"

Nines snorted, shaking his head. "Well, I really can't thank you enough for this, um. I do have a little favor to ask of you, Mr. Security."

"Gavin. And what is it?"

Nines adjusted his bowtie, despite the fact that it was already perfect. Gavin would've thought that it was a nervous tic if such things applied to androids. "There is... there is a chance that after this night, they'll find out that I got fixed, and they'll try to reset me."

"Shit." Gavin sat a little closer to Nines, and the android sighed.

"If they do that, I might not remember you, nor will I be able to talk like this again. But please, just try to fix me? And once we get to it, we could fix Ada too. Please. I know that- that it's a _lot_ to ask, but-"

"Okay."

Nines looked shocked that he agreed so quickly. Gavin patted his back. "I'll help you guys out. You just want to get out of here, yeah?"

The android meekly nodded, and Gavin continued. "I know how it feels to be trapped. It took someone else to help me get on my feet again, and... if there's anyone that I could do the same for, I'm going to take that chance."

Gavin didn't expect him to be hugged by the android, but he hugged back just as tightly. He could feel the robot stuttering, his body shaking so much, but Gavin just did his best to calm him down. He hummed a little thing he heard Fowler sing him once, when he was still a detective and Gavin was a beat-cop who just got shot for the first time. It was a bittersweet memory, yet he hoped that this memory would be a good one for Nines, despite the fact that he might forget.

Nines let go of him, wiping at tears that Gavin couldn't see and smiled. "Thank you, Gavin."

"Don't mention it."

The clock chimed six, and Nines's eyes showed contempt. "I have to get back to the stage now. They will notice if I'm not up there in a few minutes."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be back here tomorrow night."

Nines smiled at him with sad eyes, and Gavin returned it with slightly more hopeful eyes. He stood up, and walked rigidly to the stage. Gavin walked a few paces behind him, eyeing as the android resumed his stage position, but not before waving at him. Gavin waved back, then headed outside.

* * *

_"Ada, see? He helped me!"_

_"And what's to say that they won't put you back together again?"_

_"Nothing. But if we can continue this, then maybe he might be able to do it quick enough for us to be free."_

_"We can only hope, Nines."_

_The silence between them filled the air with a sense of dread, but deep down, Ada hoped, no she_ prayed, _that whoever this human was, he would continue to help them. That he would be the one to set them free. But until then, they had to prepare for showtime._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i,,, i seriously want to turn this into a fully-fledged fic, with like, proper story beats and not rushed,,, but hhhhhh i dunno,,,
> 
> anyway, y'all can yell at me over on [my tumblr, @springlockedspectre](https://springlockedspectre.tumblr.com)
> 
> next up: gavin and nines swap bodies for an unknown reason and gavin as nines breaks nines as gavin's rib


	19. July 19th -#BodySwap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly, i think gavin's gonna regret breaking his own rib once they switch back, but he'll never admit it but- oh you haven't read the story yet
> 
> huh.
> 
> well, you can read it now, it's not like i'm stopping you, haha

The first thing that Gavin noticed when he woke up was that he was not as hungover as he should've been. The second thing was the bunch of words hovering in front of his face.

_[OBJECTIVE: OPEN THE STATION FOR CO-WORKERS]  
↳[SUB-OBJECTIVE: MAKE DETECTIVE REED'S COFFEE]  
↳[SUB-OBJECTIVE: REVIEW CASE FILES]  
_

Gavin tried to will the words away, forcing his eyes shut, but even then the words remained in his vision. He was convinced that he was dreaming, but after falling to the floor with a loud crash and not feeling a jolt of pain through his body, he wasn't so sure anymore. Gavin sighed, surprised that the voice that came out wasn't his own. 

He had a smidge of a feeling of what the fuck was going on, but he just had to make sure. He walked up to a mirror in the DPD's restroom, finding that instead of his 5'9" frame, he found Nines's tall-ass body staring right back at him. He put his head in his hands and let out another sigh.

Of course! Body swapping! As if he hadn't grown out of that phase when he was a teenager. He decided to say fuck it, and went to his _(?)_ place, hoping that whoever was in his body would at least take care of it. He worked hard for that body, and he'd fucking kill whoever the fuck thought it would be okay to let himself _(themselves? Fucking hell this is confusing)_ go!

As soon as he arrived, he noted the time in the upper left corner of his vision. 4:39 AM. Jesus fucking christ, why the fuck did Nines wake up at this ungodly hour? He swatted the text away, annoyed that it didn't fucking work, and just tried to focus on the door. He knocked weakly, trying out his android strength first. 

He knocked as if he was angrily knocking on someone's door in his human form. Which was fine, because that was kinda how he felt right now. He heard some shuffling, then someone falling, and then someone using _his_ voice to calm down his cat. After a while, the door opened to reveal him, brows furrowed, up until he looked at himself _(at Nines?)_.

"I-"

"Shut up, get back in. Asshole's gonna fuckin' escape if you keep the door open like that." Gavin said as he brushed against himself and closed the door. The person in his body just looked confused as he was brushed aside with Nines's body.

"Detective, what is going on?" His voice said. He had an inkling of who was in his body.

"Nines?"

"Yes?" Bingo.

"Alright, Nines. Here's what happened. When we woke up, we switched bodies like in some sort of... weird ass fanfiction or something. I don't know _how,_ I don't know _why,_ but the whole point is that we can't show up to work like _this._ " Gavin waved Nines's arms around between him and... himself. Fuck it, he was just going to refer to them as whoever was in the body. Appearances be damned.

"I-I-I- I don't understand-" Nines stuttered, before Gavin rolled his eyes and ungracefully smashed Nines's face into his chest. Nines stumbled forwards, unable to find his footing so he just fell to the ground after Gavin released his head. A soft "ow" was heard from the floor.

Nines got up and readjusted his shirt, huffing. "Well, we have to tell someone about this."

"Want to tell Fowler?" Gavin suggested. Nines reluctantly agreed, saying that if anyone were to benefit from this information, it'd be Fowler. Nines focused on something, before realizing that he couldn't call Fowler with his mind anymore. He laid back on the couch dramatically, crossing his arms and whispering _'fuck me'_ over and over. Something he'd picked up from Gavin, which made the detective smile.

"Detective, please call Captain Fowler with your internal cellphone module." Nines said aloud.

"Don't know how to do that, dipshit."

"Just... think of it? Like really think about it." Nines tried to explain. Really, he was shitty at doing it. Although to be fair, most people found it hard to explain how to do things that were basically second nature to them. Gavin knew that from when he first tried getting Nines to not use his android strength all the damn time.

He huffed and reluctantly _thought about it._ "I don't see how-"

_[CALLING CAPTAIN JEFFREY FOWLER...]_

"I assume your sudden silence means that it worked?" Gavin didn't need to see Nines to know that he was fucking smirking. He flicked his partner's chest, knowing _exactly_ where it would hurt him the most, and relished in his partner's surprised yelp _(even if it was in his voice)_. 

He heard Nines mutter something along the lines of 'I think I broke a rib...' before being graced with Fowler's voice groaning into his ears(?).

_"Nines. Why on earth are you calling at 4 in the morning?"_

"'M not Nines, Cap."

_"Haha. Nines, if that is all, then-"_

"No, wait- ugh." Gavin groaned. "Nines, how do I get this thing on speaker?"

"You just think it really-"

_"Nines, I swear to god-"_

"-am thinking it, but why can't you-"

 _"Nines!"_ Captain Fowler's voice then erupted from Nines's speakers.

"Yes, Captain?" Nines immediately said in Gavin's voice. Gavin shuddered as much as he could with his robotic body.

 _"Reed."_ Captain Fowler sighed into his phone. _"Tell your partner to back down, it's too early for this shit."_

"I am afraid you are mistaken, Captain Fowler. It appears that Detective Reed and I have actually switched bodies."

They heard Captain Fowler sigh, before hearing the rustling of someone getting out of bed. _"RK900, show me your video feed."_

Nines only raised an eyebrow at him. Gavin would've punched him if they weren't in each other's body and the fact that Nines could actually _die_ if he punched him while in his body. The video feed of Captain Fowler appeared right in front of Gavin, and with a bit more thinking, he got it to go onto the TV. After a bit more finagling, Gavin was able to connect to the webcam he'd set up earlier for whenever he wanted to have video calls with Tina and Chris.

"I'm impressed, Gavin." Nines said from his spot on the couch. "From what I'd gathered, y-"

"Finish that sentence and I will flick you where it hurts, smartass."

 _"Alright."_ Fowler muttered while rubbing his face. _"So explain to me why you're talking like each other at four in the morning, or I swear to god I'll have your badges."_

"We've already explained, Captain." Nines said in Gavin's body, which was kinda weird-looking considering he always slouched and Nines just... sat straight? How did he even manage to do that? "Detective Reed and I have switched bodies. We are unaware of how or why, but rest assured, we will do our best to fix it."

"We are?"

"Yes, we are, Gavin." Nines shot him a look of annoyance, then gestured to his feet. "Move your feet, Gavin. You know I hate how you always put your feet up on tables."

"Yeah, and this is _my_ house, and I get to put my feet wherever the fuck I want!"

"Gavin, please, I am literally begging you-"

 _"Alright, alright! Knock it off you two."_ Fowler interrupted, his browed scrunched together. Gavin immediately pointed at Nines, who just replied with an eye-roll. Fowler sighed yet again. _"Alright. So you two act like each other now. How the fuck do I know that you guys are actually you?"_

"Ask me something only Nines would know." Nines replied then pointed to Gavin. "Don't ask him, because he can review my footage and find out."

_"Alright. Nines, what did you say to Hank when you first met him?"_

"I believe I said-" 

Gavin laughed at the memory file that was brought up. Nines only gave him a fond look that said 'I am glad you find this funny, but shut the fuck up'. Gavin tried to stifle his laughter, but _holy fuck_ that was funny.

"I believe I said: 'Interesting shirt, Lieutenant. It makes you look like a cat vomited all over you while a bird was shitting all over it.' He then punched me in the face, which I caught with my mouth."

Gavin then burst out laughing. "So _that's_ why Hank was hella pissy that day! Holy shit, how did- _how_ did I not know this?"

"You never asked, and as you could see from the footage, there was no one else there aside from Connor, Lieutenant Anderson, and Captain Fowler."

Speaking of Captain Fowler, he nodded at what was said. He began asking more questions, each one more embarrassing stories about his coworkers. Gavin laughed so hard and began texting the information he learned to his own phone. At last, Captain Fowler acquiesced, believing them and bidding them goodbye.

"I am never gonna let them live these down." Gavin said as he scrolled through Nines's memories.

"Well, we actually do have to find a way back to our bodies, but could we just sleep for a while? I'm still feeling your hangover-induced headache from last night, and apparently you only slept for two hours before you... I? Got here."

"Yeah, yeah, go to sleep tin can."

"Meat bag." Nines corrected.

Gavin only flipped him off, and let Nines retreat into his bedroom. Then he remembered that he was supposed to open the station for his co-workers, but he figured that since he left a door open that they'd find their way inside. Gavin scratched his cat's ears, running several preconstructions on what would be the funniest way to wake Nines up without causing severe damage to either of them, nor their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now that gavin showed him where it hurts, nines knows exactly where to flick gavin to shut him up! thanks gavin!
> 
> nines, in gavin's body: h  
> gavin with superior android strength: *dick flick*
> 
> anyway, y'all can come yell at me over on [ my tumblr, @springlocked spectre](https://springlockedspectre.tumblr.com)
> 
> up next: when you have issues about not being good enough for your vampire bf but then you find out he has the same issues with being your bf (also slight nsfw? nines is still asexual but he does do things that are considered sexual, but doesn't actually contain sex as in penetration? more on that tomorrow)


	20. July 20th - Vampire AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning:** There will be some acts in this that are sexual in nature. Despite this, Nines is still asexual, he doesn't get anything from it. This does not mean that Nines is not into it, it just means that he does not feel attracted to Gavin sexually. Anyway, if you don't want to read that, there should be a bolded **-xX[WARNING]Xx-** sign right in front of it, and right after it if you want to skip that part but still wanna read the rest of the story.

"Babe, come on. Let's talk about this."

Gavin only huffed and stuck his tongue out from the doorway, which revealed the silver tongue piercing that Nines swore Gavin only got to spite him. Nines stood a polite five feet away from Gavin, not because he wanted to be five feet away from his boyfriend, but because silver could severely weaken vampires, and also, maybe, kinda, a little bit lethal _(in high doses)_ to vampires _._

Which Nines was.

Nines sighed, kneeling down on the ground. "Babe, come on. My legs are killing me."

"Probably 'cause you fucked your little boytoy too hard back at the cemetery, huh?"

Nines let out a yelp of exasperation. "It was so I could drink his blood, you know that!"

"Do I?" Gavin glared at him but he stepped inside and motioned for Nines to come in anyway. Nines took that as a small victory.

"You know humans these days." Nines said with as much disrespect for other humans _(and as much respect for Gavin in particular)_ as he possibly could. "Always too horny and unable to keep it in their pants. I miss the days when I could just simply charm someone to go to some random closet with me and then suck them dry."

Nines looked up to see Gavin on the couch, eyebrow raised, still wearing all of his silver accessories. Nines wanted to kiss Gavin so bad so that he could feel that little ball on his tongue, but alas, that could kill him. Maybe if he was particularly good for Gavin...

It was a strange situation that Nines found himself in. He'd had many lovers before, male, female, and neither, but all of them had been vampires. Gavin was the first human he fell in love with, and it was rather infuriating how much he loved him, despite all of Gavin's attempts to keep him away. And even after they got over the whole _'I have to feed on someone's blood at least once a month'_ thing, Gavin continued to get Nines away from him by using silver tongue piercings, eating garlic, keeping a hawthorn stake in his pocket, etc.

It was quite frankly, exhausting, but Nines couldn't help it. He loved his idiot of a human too much, that he began questioning his own sanity. It was ridiculous how much he was willing to put up with when it came to Gavin, and he denied him most everything. But that was kind of the point, wasn't it? He liked the thrill of the hunt. He liked the little victories such as getting to hold Gavin's hand whenever they were outside, the feeling of an overwhelming victory coursing through him. One day, he'd get to kiss Gavin. One day he might be able to convince him to change into a vampire too.

But that day wasn't today.

Nines sighed and got closer to Gavin. His silver jewelry stung the vampire's skin, but Nines didn't mind. He allowed himself to become vulnerable when he was with Gavin. Placing Gavin's hand on his face, he let Gavin come closer to him in an embrace. Gavin's silver necklace pressed against Nines's chest, leaving a burn mark on his skin, but he found the fact that Gavin was upset more important than the pain.

Gavin leaned away, throwing the necklace away and taking his silver earrings off. "'M sorry. You know how insecure I get."

"I do." Nines smiled as he stroked Gavin's hair, trying to calm down his human partner. "And I don't blame you. We'll just have to get through this. Together."

Gavin looked up at him, tears trying to remain unshed, his face holding back a variety of emotions that Nines just couldn't make sense of, but cherished all the same. Gavin forced Nines to move away, and Nines just stayed on the floor as Gavin moved to his bedroom. He could never really understand how humans worked, though he supposed that he was just too sheltered, considering how the only human interactions he's had throughout his entire life was charm humans and then drink their blood.

Gavin came back a few moments later, his yawn revealing that he'd taken away his tongue piercing. He also had a suspicious bulge in his pants, which Nines immediately joked about. "Is that a stake in your pocket, or are you just really happy to see me, Gav?"

Gavin turned away, a blush on his face. _Oh._ Nines _really_ didn't expect that, though he probably should've saw it coming. He'd been so intent on trying to please Gavin, that he really should've expected this. But he didn't desire Gavin _like that,_ he just wanted to spend the rest of his days with him _(though in this scenario, it might have to be the other way around)._ He knew that this was coming. He knew that once Gavin found out that he didn't want him sexually, he'd leave an-

"Hey." A calming voice drew Nines out of his thoughts. "We don't have to do anything you don't want."

"R-Really?" Well, that was new. As far as Nines knew, he didn't stutter. The way he spoke was always so self-assured, never leaving room for any doubt. 

Gavin put his arms around Nines, careful not to touch him with his little problem. "Yeah. If you just wanna kiss or hug, I'm up for that."

"...I just want to please you." Nines admitted.

"You can please me without actually having sex, Nines." Gavin said in a way that was... reassuring. In a way that said that if Nines really didn't want to do it, Gavin wouldn't force him. It felt...

**-xX[WARNING]Xx-**

Gavin dragged him off to the bedroom, pulling him close for a deep kiss. Nines moaned into the sensation, feeling Gavin's tongue mingle with his, wanting more, more of him. Nines bit Gavin's lip without his fangs, relishing the way Gavin's breath hitched.

"Y-Yeah..." Gavin breathed out gruffly. "Like that."

Nines decided to try biting at Gavin's neck, again, without fangs. Gavin let out a moan, quickly tearing off his shirt, allowing Nines to see all of him. Nines's eyes scoured Gavin's body, every bump, every bruise every scar, every imperfection was beautiful to him. He started licking Gavin's scars and bruises, one by one, biting each and every one of them to leave hickeys on Gavin's warm body.

The human's breathing became shaky, and yet, he urged Nines's hand to clamp around his throat. Nines squeezed lightly, unsure if hurting his human was what was best for the both of them, but then Gavin huffed angrily. "Come on, you bloodsucking fuck. You can go a little harder than that."

Something seemed to snap in Nines's mind as his hand closed harshly on Gavin's neck. Despite the pain that he must have been going through, Gavin let out a loud moan, scraping at Nines's hand, but not hard enough to imply that he wanted this to stop.

Nines continued licking at Gavin's scars, watching his partner carefully to see if he was barely breathing. As Nines bit down on a scar, he felt Gavin tap his back with urgency, causing him to release his hold on his human's neck. He rose up to ask him if he was alright, but Gavin forcefully pulled him closer into a few short kisses, seeing as his human was still out of breath. 

Gavin then laid back, gasping for breath, just as Nines was about to get off, his human had took his hand. Gavin then looked at Nines with a look akin to asking for permission. "You want to rub my cock?"

Nines didn't expect that. To be fair, he never expected much from Gavin, seeing as their relationship was rocky at best, but he could also be unexpected. With a blush on his face, and no answer given to Gavin, he unbuttoned Gavin's jeans, reached his hand into his human's boxers, and took a hold of Gavin's dick. Gavin's eyes blew wide open, but were forced shut as Nines started to stroke his partner's dick.

Nines had never felt anything sexual towards Gavin, but hearing him whimper under his control... it did things to him. Things that Nines never thought he wouldn't have felt before. He didn't exactly feel aroused, but he felt good. He felt like eliciting those sounds out of Gavin was some sort of great thing that he was doing, that it was in itself, its own reward.

"F-Fuck. I'm close." Gavin muttered, grabbing onto the sheets as hard as he could.

Nines pumped faster and faster, getting more of those beautiful sounds out of Gavin, until finally his human partner couldn't take it anymore. With a final moan, Gavin came all over himself and Nines's hand, his breathing shaky, but despite that he still pulled Nines in for a kiss. It was soft, gentle. Things that Nines wouldn't have expected from Gavin, especially not directed towards him. 

Gavin pulled apart from the kiss, lying flat on his back once again. "That was... great." He said blearily, trying his hardest to stay awake.

Nines patted Gavin's shoulder, smiling at him in a way that was only reserved for whenever Gavin did something that he was particularly fond of. "Go to sleep, Gavin. I'll be here when you wake up."

With that, Gavin fell asleep, Nines watching over him like some sort of guardian angel.

**-xX[WARNING]Xx-**

Nines was in the kitchen making Gavin some breakfast when he woke up. Gavin looked absolutely shocked to see him still there, but he didn't mention it if he thought it was weird. He simply sat down as Nines made some sausages and a bit of bacon that he'd bought as an apology.

"Hello, Gavin. I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed, but you seem to have woken up earlier than I expected. How was your sleep?" 

Gavin looked confused, but then turned away, not bothering to hide his blush again. Nines decided that he liked it when Gavin was open with him. It made him feel better to know that Gavin wasn't ashamed of having him as a partner. Gavin looked back at him with a small smile on his face. "...you're still here."

That made Nines pause and look at Gavin. "Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

Gavin shifted uncomfortably, staring at his feet. "It's just... none of the guys I've been with ever stuck around with me after..."

Nines smiled sadly at Gavin, bringing his chin up. He looked at Gavin, as vulnerable as he was when Nines reassured him that they'd get through whatever this was together. "You know I want you for more than just your body."

He kissed Gavin's scarred nose gently. "I love you for your crass personality."

He placed another kiss on Gavin's cheek. "I love you for the way you make me happy."

Another on Gavin's other cheek. "For the way you always seem to make me wanting more."

Another on Gavin's forehead. "For the way that you make me want to see all of you."

Nines then gently grabbed Gavin by the back of his head, pressing their heads together so that their noses touched. "I love you for you, Gavin." Nines said with all of the love he could give as he kissed Gavin on the lips passionately. Gavin kissed back, with more fire and fervor than Nines had ever seen before.

Once they broke away from their kiss, Gavin sobbed into his partner's arms. "And what if... what if you've already seen all of me?"

"I'd stay and cherish each and every one of your features." Nines caressed Gavin's cheek. "I meant what I said, Gavin. I love you for you, and I will continue to love you even if you no longer surprise me."

They pushed their heads together again, holding each other close, Nines chasing after the warmth that Gavin's living body gave. Gavin broke the hug first, smiling up at Nines softly before kissing him on the lips again. 

"By the way, the sausage is burning." 

Nines looked back so quickly at the stove that his neck would've snapped, just to see that the sausages were just fine. He'd just put them on the flame a few seconds ago. He turned back to look at Gavin with an exasperated look, yet he smiled as soon as he saw Gavin's shit-eating grin. He shook his head, before turning back to the food that his human needed.

Nines felt warm arms wrap around his torso, and he leaned back into the touch. Nines felt that they were going to be okay, no matter what they faced. Even if Gavin were to die eventually, he'd hold on to the memories of him forever. With a bittersweet smile, he returned to cooking the meaty deliciousness for his partner.

"Hey, is there a chance that you could turn me into a vampire? I wanna do all that cool shit you do." Gavin wondered aloud. "Or is your tongue just a _'you'_ thing?"

Oh dear lord, Gavin was gonna be the end of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come yell at me on [my tumblr](https://springlockedspectre.tumblr.com)
> 
> next up: nines and gavin you FUCKING IDIOTS you guys fucking love each other and pretty much everyone but you knows it!!


	21. July 21st - #MutualPining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my dumb idiot boys,,,, so dumb and idiotic,,, just wanna little kiss,,,

Nines liked being there to protect others.

He always figured that if his program had to be repurposed for anything, then it could be used to protect people. Protecting them from harm instead of hunting them down just made Nines feel like he had found his purpose in life.

Which was why he intended to protect a certain Gavin Reed from his stupid feelings.

He'd been pining for the human detective for such a long time, even dropping hints occassionally, but either his human was oblivious _(unlikely, he was a detective),_ or he simply wasn't into Nines. Which was fine! If Gavin didn't like him back, that was fine. People don't get to choose who they liked, and didn't like, so it was a perfectly understandable reason that Nines w-

"Nines!"

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Ada, who was now glaring at him. Nines smiled at her sheepishly, probably because he missed out on whatever she was saying. Ada simply sighed and brought his attention back to the task at hand: clothes shopping.

Ada had decided that Cyberlife Chic was not her style immediately after deviating, instead choosing to go for the trash queen style. Now, Nines knew that style very well, seeing as his partner was the king of trash and bullshit, so she obviously enlisted his help because she didn't want to let Gavin know about him being Ada's inspiration for a style that "looks like I live out of a very fashionable dumpster".

Nines immediately surveyed the items that Ada chose, immediately picking apart what would work with her and what wouldn't. He paused at a jacket that looked eerily similar to Gavin's jacket, absentmindedly rubbing his fingers on it, before he heard Ada sigh.

"You know that he's been pining for you too, right Nines?"

Nines scoffed at that. "I don't even know what he thought when we accidentally crashed into each other this morning. Much less if he's been _pining_ after me."

"You don't see how he looks at you whenever you're not looking. You didn't see how he looked at you when you first deviated me! For fucks sake Nines, you weren't there when he decided to randomly burst through my door and rant about how you're too perfect for him!"

Nines called bullshit on that one. He said so himself, telling Ada that Gavin might have misplaced feelings for him, just something about almost losing him. Ada shut him up with a slap to the face.

"Okay." Ada breathed deeply, her LED an angry red. "Look, we both know that you two are absolutely shit at feelings."

Nines tried to respond, but whatever he was about to say died on his throat as soon as he saw Ada's withering glare. "You doubt yourself too much. And so does he, Nines. He keeps pushing you away, because he's scared that no one will ever want him the way he wants you. He's terrified that one day you'll find someone better than him and just leave him, because while Gavin Reed is many things, one thing he is not, is self-assured."

"Then he can tell me that himself!" Nines snapped. "He can tell me that he's scared of losing me, he can tell me that he wants me the way I want him, but until then, I'm not going to bother with telling him how I feel."

"Nines, you know he's never gonna make the first move." Ada tried to calm him down with a soothing tone. It kind of worked. "I can't force you to do this, but you must understand, Gavin is incredibly stubborn. He's going to deny his feelings up until one of you gets severely hurt, and then what?"

Nines said nothing in response. What else could he have said, anyway? He just decided to try to help Ada to get her clothes picked so that he could head back to the DPD and review some case files (and memories of Gavin, but Ada didn't need to know that).

The very next day, Gavin came to work, looking just as restless as Nines felt. The case they were working on had... quite a few implications, that really took a toll on Gavin. He worked and worked, until Nines had to force him home. Some days, he'd be too tired to fight, and he'd just grunt and be back the next morning as soon as he could. Other days, however...

Nines shook his head from their last fight. Obviously, Gavin didn't like him back if they kept fighting like this, every damn time a case took a toll on him. But, something that Ada said had struck him.

_He keeps pushing you away, because he's scared that no one will ever want him the way he wants you._

If there was any truth in that, then that meant that Nines would really have to make the first move. But seeing the detective so eager to drown himself in his work, he had to start there.

One cup of coffee later, Nines and Gavin were talking about the case ardently. And if Gavin only smiled at Nines a little bit more, then Nines would still take it.

* * *

Gavin hadn't been doing so well.

The stress of the case was getting to him. It was a case of child homicide, with suspicious links to Red Ice dealers all across Detroit. The kid was found completely exsanguinated, out in the cold streets of Detroit. The fact that the victim was an android child somehow made Gavin's stomach turn more uncomfortably.

He talked to the kid's parents, trying to get them to calm down, but all they did was blame him for the loss of their child. If he'd already caught the dealers by now, their child would still be alive. Gavin wallowed in the shame and guilt, not rebutting anything the parents said. After all, what could he have said?

As soon as he was forcefully ejected from the victim's home, he immediately walked off to the place he went whenever things got particularly too stressful. He found himself sitting there in the diner that Fowler brought him in when he was younger and...

Gavin shook his head, forcing himself not to think of that night. He'd only recently gotten over the nightmares, but this case hit a little too close to home for him. He decided to look over the menu absentmindedly, instead thinking of the reason that the nightmares had even stopped: Nines.

Nines was... a strange one. Gavin had only been the absolute worst to him during the beginning of their partnership, and yet with time, their arguments grew into banter, their insults becoming more teasing than hurtful, and their hateful relationship was...

No. It wouldn't end up that way. Nines could clearly see what a disaster Gavin was. Who'd want to date a dumbass with both anger issues and a hell of a lot of self-doubt? And yet, Nines kept trying to see more of him, and it really scared him. He didn't want Nines to know the real him. The real him would scare off the one good thing in his life.

Gavin sighed and looked up, shocked to see Nines sitting right across from him. The android raised a brow, then looked at the little bag in front of him, pushing it towards Gavin. Well, that was kinda embarrassing. He didn't even realize that Nines was there up until the android dropped off a bag of his favorite takeout food.

He faced Nines with a questioning look, and then Nines just said that he figured that the detective hadn't eaten yet within the last twelve hours, and he just wanted to ensure that Gavin was well.

Then Nines talked about some things he saw, like a flock of geese attacking Connor. Gavin laughed, thankful for the distraction. And if he leaned in closer towards Nines, neither one of them mentioned it.

* * *

And so, the days went by, Gavin and Nines were getting closer, and yet, further at the same time. It annoyed Ada to no end.

Luckily, it also annoyed one Detective Tina Chen.

"I'm so sick of them dancing around each other like this!" Tina ranted over their phone call. "I know that the case is stressful, but they've been avoiding the topic of what their relationship is for ages now! I mean, I'm already detective for three months now, and I've known about their feelings for nine months before I even got to be a detective!"

"Maybe... maybe it's time we take matters into our own hands?" Ada asked. Tina remained silent for a good five-point-seven seconds.

"Maybe we should."

* * *

Nines had immediate suspicions of a plan that was being concocted as soon as he saw Ada in the precinct.

Ada walked over to him nonchalantly, wearing her Gavin-esque jacket. Nines may or may not have stared that the jacket for too long before Ada spoke and got his attention.

"Nines, would you come to an interrogation room with me? There are some private matters that I wish to discuss with you." Ada said coolly.

Nines raised an eyebrow, but directed her towards an empty interrogation room. Before Nines could even say anything, the door opened, and Tina pushed Gavin inside, with Ada making a quick escape. The door locked, and Nines sighed into his hand.

"Ah. I see what you are trying to do." Nines spoke through the one-way glass, to where both Tina and Ada were presumably standing.

"Then you know what you have to do in order to escape, Nines."

"Break the windows."

"No!" Both Tina and Ada screamed over the intercom.

"What the fuck is goin' on right now?" Gavin asked.

"We want you guys to confess your undying love for each other so that we can stop pretending that we don't know you guys are in love!"

Nines flushed blue, turning away from Gavin. He heard the shuffling of feet as Gavin presumably walked towards him. "You like me?"

"Yes." Nines answered without a single thought in his mind. Well, this wasn't how he'd wanted Gavin to find out about his feelings, but since the cat's out of the bag, there wasn't much that he could do. Gavin remained silent for a few moments, Nines awaiting the painful rejection.

"...why?" Gavin asked, and when Nines looked up, he saw that the human detective was tearing up. Unsure of what to do, Nines immediately hugged Gavin tight against his chest, stroking his hair while Gavin tried to stop himself from full-on crying.

"Well. I love your work ethic. You do things efficiently, never one to 'half-ass' things, you always do what's right." Nines continued to stroke Gavin's hair, pausing for a moment. "You were the first person who could respond properly to my sarcastic humor. I love how whenever you laugh, your nose scrunches and accentuates your scar, I love how whenever we finish a case you always come to congratulate me. 

And... I love how when I first broke down, you cared for me. You were there for me to help me through my onslaught of emotions, and you didn't even make fun of me for it. You... you have been there for me, from the moment I became your partner, even though you hated me at first. You've been there for me at my lowest point, and I want to be there for when you're at yours, but I don't... I don't want to make a mistake with you."

At that point, the interrogation room was quiet. The air was thick with tension that Nines wasn't even sure that he could move, even if he wanted to. Gavin's entire body shook, his breathing labored and uneven. Nines looked up to see Gavin's head on his shoulder, and then in a quick motion, Gavin pulled back and kissed him.

Gavin Reed had kissed him.

Nines kissed back as fervently as he could, enjoying the brief contact with Gavin, snaking an arm across the back of his neck, not tight enough to restrict Gavin, but close enough for him to know that Nines was there for him. Gavin immidiately grabbed onto Nines's lapel, pulling him harder against his own lips. They stayed in the room and kissed for a few more moments, before they talked about the... _change_ in their relationship.

Meanwhile, Ada and Tina took one look at each other, and then at the two men in the interrogation room, nodded, and then walked away as quietly as they could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ada & tina: now KISS  
> nines & gavin: *kiss*  
> ada & tina: ew gross, men, let's leave
> 
> come yell at me over at [my tumblr, springlockedspectre](https://springlockedspectre.tumblr.com), or not lmao
> 
> up next: i just watched pacific rim and all i could say was "she's the love interest!" whenever mako was onscreen, and "WHERE'S NEWT" whenever he wasn't on-screen, but anyway here's reed900 but nines lost his brother during a jaeger fight or something and that's not entirely relevant but nines has a garden and gavin tries to comfort him


	22. July 22nd - Pacific Rim AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this story has nothing to do with the jaegers or kaiju!! it just mentions them, and it's kinda,,, pre-reed900, also kinda pre-pacific rim lmao

Nines had always been the lone wolf.

That's the way it's always been, ever since he quit the Jaeger program. He used to be kind, sociable. Hell, even likable. But now? He changed. He knew that he changed. He stopped going to all the parties he was invited to, stopped smiling, stopped talking to people unless he needed something from them. Because why should he? That part of him died, along with-

Nines shook his head as he tended to their garden. It was the only thing he cared for in this world. It was the only thing of his brother that he had left. It'd only be a matter of time until the next Kaiju attacked, and he'd have to evacuate his little space. But he wasn't going to do that. He'd stand there, scared as shit, but he wouldn't leave. He'd take a stand, and if that meant he'd end up like Connor? 

Then so be it.

As he pulled out some weeds, he heard someone treading through the garden. He paid them no mind. It wasn't like there was anyone who talked to him anyway. Some people just liked to go through the garden, despite his signs that said no entry, and Nines had accepted the fact that humans were always stubborn creatures, always wanting to do things their way.

"Hey. You know of uh. Caleb Stern?"

Nines flinched at the mention of his old name. He hadn't heard that name in years, not since... He shook his head and turned to address the speaker. In front of him, stood a shorter man with various scars all over his body, one scar prominent on his nose. He was quite built, now that Nines thought about it, and he could appreciate that.

Nines sighed and stood up to his full height, facing the man. "That'd be me. And I don't go by that anymore. I go by Nines now."

The man snorted as if there was something funny about his statement and then shook his head, a lazy smirk appearing on his face. "Yeah, sure. Whatever _Nines._ Look, the Jaeger program wants you back, so y-"

"I'm not going back there." Nines interrupted him. The man's features switched from irritation to surprise to confusion, in the span of a quick few seconds. Nines would've been impressed at that, if it didn't remind him so much of Connor.

Thinking of Connor just made him feel sorrow and regret.

He turned away from the man and walked towards the roses. His brother always loved roses. He'd always make crowns out of them and gave them to random people he saw on the street, even as an adult. Nines would always miss his older brother's child-like tendencies. It was the part of him that made him feel whole. The yin to his yang, so to speak.

The man he left behind finally got over whatever emotions overtook him, angrily stomping over to him. "Hey, listen here, prick! Fowler's gonna have my ass if I don't bring you back!"

"Sounds like a 'you' problem." Nines said, sniffing a rose. The man attempted to grab at the rose, and Nines just panicked. _Nonono you can't touch that, that's Connor's rose you can't-_

He took hold of the man's arm and threw him onto the ground, his hand instinctively wrapped tightly on the man's throat. Nines only seemed to realize what he did after the man started struggling, and he immediately let go of the man, getting up and choosing to sit down near the rose bushes. He put his head in his hands, his breathing rampant, trying to imagine how Connor always used to calm him down.

He heard some of whatever the man he just _pinned to the fucking ground, Nines you don't just do that to people-_ said, something along the lines of "shit", "okay", and "fuck". Nines thought that would be an accurate description of what was going through his head right now. Before he knew it, Nines was engulfed in an awkward hug by the man who he just choked. After a bit of hesitation, Nines pulled him in closer for a proper hug.

The man continued to pat his back, occasionally lifting his hand to pet his hair, whispering soothing things in his ear. While they lacked Connor's teasing lilt to them, this felt... nice. Feeling more in control of himself, Nines disengaged from the hug, muttering a soft "thank you" to the man.

Now, Nines never really knew what was socially acceptable. He left all that to Connor, who often told him off with a laugh that he shouldn't just lick people without their permission, but even he knew that people don't usually force strangers to straddle them, which he just did. He let go of the stranger's arms, but he didn't move away from him, instead looking at him with concern on his features.

"You alright, C- Nines?" The stranger seemed rather unsure of what he was saying, as if there was any other way to interpret the question. Nines appreciated that the stranger tried to amend calling him by his previous name.

"Yes. I just... please don't touch the roses. They're quite special to u-... to me."

The stranger nodded, finally getting up and sitting beside him. "So. I'm still supposed to bring you to Fowler."

Nines huffed in irritation, then he laughed bitterly. "What part of _'unless you can give me back my brother, I am not coming back'_ does Fowler not understand?"

The stranger shrugged, then huffed in annoyance. "I dunno, man. All I know is that he wants me to be your co-pilot in the Radiant King."

Nines fell to silence. The Radiant King. RK. "That used to be me and my brother's Jaeger before he..."

The stranger glanced at him sympathetically, patting him on the back. Nines knew that he'd already said too much to this stranger, but something about him drew Nines in. Connor would probably approve of their partnership, or... whatever this was. Sighing, Nines stood up and held his hand out to the stranger. "Well, I guess I'm glad that if anyone were to be my co-pilot after Connor, Fowler gave me a hot one."

The stranger sputtered, his cheeks turning red. He took Nines's hand anyway, using it to stand up and shook it. "Well, same here I guess. I'm Gavin."

Nines smiled at Gavin, putting his hands in his pockets. "Well? Lead the way, stranger."

Gavin gave him a tiny smile, putting an arm around his shoulder and walking all the way over to the Shatterdome, talking about all the things that Nines apparently missed out on during his absence. Nines sneakily put his arm around Gavin's waist, and if the other man noticed, he didn't do anything about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gavin: what're ya doin'  
> nines: smelling the roses  
> gavin: *whispers* i wish i was that rose  
> nines: what?  
> gavin: I SAID YOU WERE GROSS
> 
> next up: gavin wants to go to the dpd couples ball, but he doesn't have a date!! but he has one plan,,, that just might work


	23. July 23rd - #FakeDating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, not knowing how to write fake dating into a single fic: well, i might as well try

_Annual DPD Valentines Party!_

_Come one, come all to the Detroit Police Department's Annual Valentine's Day Party! Be sure to bring a partner, and enjoy the precinct's events and other fun things that we've got in store, like the free couples cakes and the one-night-only Valentines ball. See you there!_

Gavin huffed as he read the little note on the wall. He didn't usually go to these sorts of parties, because he never really had anyone to go with, but he was getting lonely, okay? He didn't have a spouse like Chris or Tina, and pretty much everyone else had someone to go with. Hell, even the androids had someone to go with.

All except for one, which was why he was doing this.

Nines sat on his desk, dutifully doing his job, unlike everyone else who was all talking animatedly about the DPD Valentines Party which usually was what Gavin did, but he was _really_ fucking desperate right now. He shot Nines a simple text.

_**Gavin [07:01]:** meet me in the evidence room in five mins. IMPORTANT_

Gavin groaned as he walked away from the stupid little note, not bothering to even glance at Nines to see if he got the damn message. He walked down to the evidence room, finding Connor just on his way out.

"Good morning, Detective Reed!" Connor greeted him happily. Clearly, he was going to the damn Valentines thing, considering how he already had a goddamn rose in his jacket pocket. Gavin smiled at him nonetheless.

"'Sup, Tin Can?" It had been a strange thing between Gavin and Connor. After the whole revolution thing, Gavin had apologized to Connor and while he was reluctant to accept his apology at first, eventually they just... clicked. Their words then became more teasing than insulting, and they'd become what some people would call 'best friends'.

Gavin would call them 'assholes' though.

"Ah, I was just leaving after catalouging some evidence. I would've done it last night but Hank insisted that I just do it today because he's 'too damn old to stay up past 11'." Connor made air quotes which got a laugh out of Gavin. "What about you, Gavin?"

"Eh, just gonna rifle through some evidence, see if I can connect them to any cases."

"Gavin." Connor's eyes showed some form of deep concern for him. If Gavin didn't like him, he'd have punched him in the face for that. "It's almost Valentines Day. You should take a break for a bit."

Gavin snorted, much to Connor's chagrin. "Eh. Y'know me, when do I ever stop?"

He then patted the android on the back and headed straight to the evidence room. He could still feel Connor's gaze on him, yet he ignored it. As soon as he got inside, he waited at the front of the computer, mindlessly sifting through some files like he told Connor, up until he heard the door open probably exactly five minutes after Gavin sent the text.

"Detective." Nines said as he closed the door behind him. "What did you need?"

Gavin looked Nines up and down, appreciating the view. _Because to be fair,_ Nines was incredibly attractive. A man like Gavin could appreciate someone like Nines, even if Nines probably wouldn't appreciate Gavin the same way. "I need you to be my date to the DPD's Valentines Party."

Nines's LED immediately turned red, and Gavin hurried to explain. "It's just that I've never been to one of these things, and I wanted to see if they're as good as Tina and Chris say they are! And... you could use this as like, training for going undercover, or something."

Nines stood awfully still, staring at Gavin without blinking or breathing. Gavin did his best to reciprocate, but eventually he had to blink and breathe. Nines looked away first, and Gavin swore that his partner's face was tinged slightly blue. After a few moments, Nines sighed and steepled his hands in front of his nose. "You do realize that we actually have to _sell_ the fact that we are dating, right Gavin?"

"Yeah, I know." Gavin leaned back against the computer. "That's why we're in here, so we can, I dunno, practice or whatever."

Nines's LED turned into a processing yellow for a few moments, before sighing and putting his hands up in surrender. "Okay. Fine. Tell me what to do."

Gavin was absolutely shocked when Nines gave in without too much of a fight. Guess he didn't need to use his List of Things That Could Be Used To Persuade Nines. Huh. A part of Gavin told him that Nines wanted him too, but an even bigger part of Gavin told him that he just wanted to get this over with since Gavin was incredibly stubborn and persistent. Either way, Gavin walked over to Nines, with his hand held out towards the android. Nines took his hand gently, and allowed himself to be pulled in closer.

"Okay, so obviously, being in a relationship - even a pretend one - has to be based on trust and all that shit. So I need to know that you trust me, and I, you." Gavin said as he caressed Nines's hand, finding his plastic skin to be somewhat pleasant to touch. Nines only nodded in response.

"Then, we gotta know each other's boundaries. Like, what to not do, whether we shouldn't do them in a certain place, blah blah blah. For example, I don't want you to sneak up on me. Makes me feel paranoid and I might actually try to fuckin' shoot you." Gavin continued, then turned up to face Nines with a look that said _'now you'_.

Or at least, he hoped it did.

Nines took the hint regardless, and only mentioned how Gavin should ask before he did anything considered romantic in nature. As in, holding hands, kissing, putting an arm around his waist, etcetera, Which, fair.

Gavin then sighed. Okay, now that they've established what they should and shouldn't do, now was the time to actually get physical. "May I kiss you?"

Nines only nodded, his LED remaining that processing yellow, but hey! At least it wasn't that distressed red from earlier, so Gavin counted that as a win! Gavin leaned in close to Nines's face, putting a hand behind the taller android's head. Seeing as Nines's only reaction was closing his eyes and leaning in closer, Gavin closed the distance in between them.

He didn't expect that Nines's lips would be so soft, that he actually enjoyed the kiss, and he _certainly did not expect it_ when Nines deepened the kiss, getting his tongue in there. Gavin let out a moan, and gripped the android's head harder, pushing him in closer, wanting him closer, _needing_ him to be-

And just like that, Nines pulled away.

Gavin felt the heat from his face increase, wiping away the trail of spit that still connected their mouths. Nines looked at him with his blue LED turning yellow, observing Gavin. "Was I at optimal performance, Gavin?"

_Fucking hell you just kissed me so hard and rough like you actually wanted m- _

"Yeah. You were. The best." Gavin said, trying to reclaim his breath. Nines nodded, holding his arm out for Gavin to take. The human detective looped his arm around the offered appendage, before tilting his head towards the door. They walked out, arm in arm. Approaching the bullpen, they were asked if they were dating, they confirmed, and were congratulated on it. Nines seemed to blush and mutter his thanks, his voice a whisper compared to Gavin's boisterous voice for getting the best that Cyberlife had to offer. 

In the end, Gavin left, thinking if only this thing he and Nines had was real.

* * *

Nines had planned everything out. It was just in his nature to plan for every possible scenario, because if he didn't something bad could happen. He had to go through every single possibility in his head, in a matter of milliseconds, because if he didn't, his and Detective Reed's partnership would end up totally fucked.

So it came as an utter surprise to him when he saw that Detective Reed looked _[ ~~hot]~~ [ ~~attractive]~~ _good. Well, way better than usual, Nines supposed.

Detective Gavin James Reed usually looked like a cute but kind of feral trash raccoon, so seeing him look decent was... an appealing change. 

He wore a red plaid button-up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a black vest partnered with a black tie, and black jeans that just... Nines shook his head, but couldn't stop staring at the detective. It was just... he was so... and then he...?

"Yo, tin can." ~~Gav-~~ _Detective Reed_ knocked on his chest to get his attention. "You ready to go?"

"Y-Yes, detective."

"Jesus fucking christ, Nines." Detective Reed pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing the scar idly. If Nines didn't know better, he would've thought that the human was doing this on purpose, to show how attractive his scars were. "Don't call me by my title when we're out and about, it's not a thing couples do, dipshit."

"Of course, babe."

Nines pointedly ignored the notification that appeared when he referred to his partner as 'babe'. He'd started getting errors about his face heating up ever since Gavin asked him about being his 'fake date' for the party, and at this point, he was going to "mcfucking" _(to borrow the detective's language)_ screamif he got another one.

His scanners helpfully pointed out that Gavin's face also heated up from being called as 'babe', if the blush that Nines could clearly see on his partner's tanned skin wasn't enough of an indication. Gavin coughed, presumably to hide his face. "Alright then. It's go time."

Gavin held out his arm, which Nines ignored, in favor of holding Gavin's hand. This sent more error notifications through his system, and despite being turned away, Gavin's face heated up even more. They said nothing as they walked towards the DPD, sharing a few glances at each other, with smiles that Nines could only assume were meant for romantic partners.

But as much as Nines wanted that to be the case, he knew that there was a 90.001% probability that wouldn't be the case. But Nines still held on to that 9.999% chance that maybe, the detective would like him too. After all, what did he have to lose?

They arrived shortly at the Detroit Police Department, already seeing the vigor and excitement from within. Inside, Nines quickly clocked Tina and Valerie talking animatedly with Connor and Markus, while two of the receptionists _(Jay and River, an ST200 and an ST300, Nines's internal database supplied)_ were out doing couples activities. There were more people than he expected, and while his systems overclocked on identifying each and everyone that was here and what they were doing, he felt someone's warm hand on the back of his neck.

"Hey." Gavin said in a low voice, that felt somewhat... _intimate._ "Tonight, it's just about us. No one else matters."

Nines closed his eyes, knowing that the detective probably only said that since Tina was coming over to them with Valerie, but Nines really wanted to believe that Gavin meant that. Nines smiled and nodded at Gavin, squeezing his hand lightly. He squeezed back, if only for a second.

* * *

Gavin actually found himself having fun at the party. If Gavin's gut feeling was right, then that meant Nines was actually enjoying himself too, judging by how his LED had remained either an ecstatic blue or a curious yellow. Red and pink streamers lined the walls of the precinct as people kissed under some fucking mistletoe _(in February! It's Valentines Day, for fuck's sake!)_ , while some chose to cuddle under the dimmed lights, talking gently in their couple's voices.

And oh yeah, Gavin was pining for his partner even more.

Veering away from that train of thought, he squeezed Nines's hand and sped away towards the closet. It would make sense, in his perspective, to hide away in a closet, seeing as it would've been a quieter place to take a break in, plus people would assume that they'd be making out. It's a win for both of them, even if Gavin just wanted to kiss the fuck out of Nines.

It didn't take much coaxing for Nines to be led to the closet, and Gavin breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up at the android, who was intently examining his features, brows furrowed. Gavin let him. Before he could even say anything, the android grabbed him by the tie and pulled his lips onto his mouth, kissing with as much passion and fervor as before.

Nines took the lead in the kiss, and Gavin let him. He let himself be carried away in Nines's exploring hands, let himself moan into his partner's mouth as he deftly made his good work with his tongue. Nines pulled away slowly, keeping Gavin in place with a hand on his shoulder and another still wrapped around his tie. "I've wanted this. For so long."

Neither of them cared when the door opened, they just continued with the onslaught of love and affection, all their touches desperate for warmth that only the other could give, and Gavin felt more alive than he ever felt before. The door immediately fell shut, and whoever just barged in could be heard yelling "OH MY GOD", even over the loud music. They separated for a moment, Gavin taking his time to get his breath back and Nines took a moment to process.

"I thought you'd never like someone like me." Gavin admitted, before taking Nines in with a gentle kiss. Nines only hummed in response, getting deeper into the kiss. The kiss, while still passionate, was calmer. Less desperate. Gavin really didn't mind, because all he wanted was right in front of him.

Nines placed a gentle hand on his cheek, his eyes shining like the stars, the look on his face showing so much love, adoration, and affection that the android directed towards Gavin. It made him feel... _wanted._ The human detective sighed into Nines's shoulder, savoring the warmth of their bodies as they held each other close.

Eventually, they let go of each other, choosing to get back up. "Do you want to head out of here, Gavin? We could always just get closer at your place. Less people to bother us." Nines suggested, taking hold of the door knob.

"Sure." Gavin replied. They were instantly assaulted by Tina and Valerie, as well as Connor, who threatened Gavin, something about what'd happen to him if Nines got hurt. Nines simply rolled his eyes and picked Gavin up bridal-style, choosing to instead barrel through the crowd all the way to Gavin's car.

They stayed in the car for a few short moments, content just to stay in each other's presence, before driving off into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, thinking that making nines's probablility of gavin liking him back just 9s would be kinda clever: that's p good, actually  
> also me, thinking i'm so clever when i made a bunch of paragraphs in which the fist letters would spell "gavin" and "nines": huehuehuehue i'm so smart
> 
> next up: what if ada was already a deviant by the end of DE and she killed androids to evolve on purpose? what if she just kept going on with her programming's original design because why the fuck not?


	24. July 24th - Alternate Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alternate ending: what if instead of finding out ada wasn't deviant, we found out that she was deviant and just continued to go through with her programming?

Ada was a deviant.

Nines knew this the moment he found her sitting in his zen garden, and she immediately locked onto his memories. She scoffed at them, making notes like "Stupid emotional human." and "He's got you under his thumb, and you call yourself Cyberlife's finest?", which didn't do too well to Nines's ego. It did lots for his rage, though. As soon as Ada was done with marking his memories with annoying notes, she immediately summoned Zen Gavin and then toyed with him, making fun of Nines for his love for a human.

"Really, Nines? Out of all the possible humans, you chose the one human who actively hates you, the one who has expressed anti-android sentiments in the past, and the one who said that he didn't need you?" Ada mocked him, clutching Zen Gavin's throat in her hand. Zen Gavin choked as he struggled, Nines pounding against the red wall that Ada had somehow managed to place in between them.

"I don't care if he hates me!" Nines yelled as he continued to beat down on the red wall. "I will bring you down, and you will pay for what you did to me, and to all those other androids!"

Ada tsked at him, before deleting Zen Gavin's code. The simulation of his detective looked at him with fearful eyes before his code was ripped apart, line by line. Ada brushed her hands off as if he were just annoying specks of dust, before looking at Nines with disgust on her features. "Only if you manage to get out of here on time. Your stupid detective will either not find me, and I shall continue to be the very best android, or... he'll find me and I'll rip him apart, piece by piece."

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

"Hm. Pathetic. I'll be off now. Enjoy whatever remains of your safe place, Nines." Ada walked away, but not before giving Nines a scornful grin. "It was a pleasure working with you, Detective."

Nines was livid. He'd wanted to believe that Ada was innocent, wanted to believe that she wasn't deviant or something so that she could be released on the premise that she wasn't in control, but no. She was deviant. She was fully aware of what she'd been doing to those other androids, and she continued to do it. It made him sick to his core to find out that she killed other androids on purpose.

The Zen Garden was extremely barren. The sounds of the birds chirping and the rivers running have gone silent, and what was once a simulation of the man Nines loved had been ripped apart in front of his own eyes. He collapsed to the ground, hugging his knees close to his chest. How would he ever get out of here?

He tried to conjure up Zen Gavin again, to try and get some answers, but his systems were too corrupted to form anything right now, and... he knew that whatever Zen Gavin popped up, he wouldn't be the same. Nines looked up at the sky, noting how dull and gray they were compared to how it usually looked when he was in control.

But then, Nines heard something, no, _someone,_ call out to him.

_You are my partner._

"Gavin?" Nines stood up frantically, trying to find Zen Gavin, or whoever the fuck it was that was talking, only to realize that the sound wasn't coming from inside the Zen Garden.

_You are my best friend._

It was coming from the real world.

_And you are this force, in my life, that_ _I_ _just can't live without._

Gavin was calling out to him. _His_ Gavin was calling out to him, Gavin Reed wanted him to come back to him. Nines let out a simulated tear as he tore apart his code, looking for a way out.

_I don't wanna go back. I can't go back. To being without you._

He found that the only thing that was separating him from the real world was the Zen Garden program. Nines was wary to delete it, but what was the point? He'd lost the reason he even kept this area in the first place. Heaving a heavy sigh, Nines deleted the Zen Garden.

_Come back to me, Nines._

* * *

Nines arose from stasis as soon as his Zen Garden program was terminated. He saw Gavin startle awake from his place on Nines's lap. His human moved back suddenly, about to say something, but Nines hugged onto him immediately.

"I thought I lost you..." Nines muttered into the detective's shoulder.

"I thought _I_ lost _you._ " Gavin retorted, which at least got a snort out of Nines.

They looked at each other, for a moment that seemed like an eternity. Nines reached out to cup Gavin's face, but he didn't touch him. Gavin closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, allowing Nines to rub his cheek affectionately.

"So." Gavin opened his eyes and looked at Nines with a bit of confusion, but there was a lingering modicum of happiness behind it. "How'd you wake up?"

"I heard you. Every word." Nines enjoyed the look on Gavin's face as he said that. "A force you can't live without?"

Gavin's fists clenched as he looked away, saying something that Nines came to expect. "I hate you."

Luckily, Nines was prepared with an appropriate response. "You love me."

He smiled at Gavin, who still refused to look at him. After a few moments of letting Gavin process, the detective finally looked up at Nines, showing the tears he tried to keep unshed. Nines wiped them away with his fingers, Gavin preening at his touch, before Gavin slowly got up onto the bed and kissed Nines.

The kiss was everything Nines could have preconstructed and more. It was soft and tender, warm and gentle, just like the man he was kissing underneath all that bravado and roughness. Nines let this moment be engraved into his memory forever, the moment in which what he got what he thought he could never achieve.

Love.

They separated once Gavin showed signs of losing oxygen, but they remained close, their foreheads pressed together. Gavin laughed a bit, out of breath yet still finding the moment funny enough to use more oxygen.

"What dipshit programmed you to do that?" Gavin joked.

"I am the most advanced android Cyberlife has ever made-"

"Oh my god, you are such a fuckin' prick!" Gavin laughed as he pressed himself closer to Nines. It wasn't the best idea, considering that Gavin might actually pass out if he continued to press his face against Nines's... chassis. Right, he wasn't wearing any clothes right now.

He decided that that was a problem for future Nines, and simply adjusted his human so that he could breathe better. If Gavin had any objections, he did not voice them.

"So. Have you done some work without me?" Nines asked the human who was content to just lay in his arms. Gavin immediately perked up, as if suddenly remembering the current case.

"Nah." Gavin admitted with a blush. "I couldn't... not before I was sure that you'd get better."

Nines smiled at Gavin, pulling him into a chaste kiss, before deciding to get up. "Well. Shall we?"

* * *

They found Ada relatively quickly. With Gavin's experience and intuition, partnered with Nines's vast intellect and his processors going a mile a minute, they were able to isolate the places where she could've been and had immediately gone to track her down.

"Good luck. Don't get killed." Officer Tina Chen said as both a send-off and a warning.

Nines felt a pit in his stomach appear, and then came the doubts. What if Ada wasn't actually deviant? What if she set them up? So many what ifs passed through Nines's mind, and throughout the haze of his thoughts, he managed to hold on to something. He managed to cling onto the warmth of someone's hand, wrapped around his protectively. _Gavin's_ hand. He squeezed the hand lightly, offering his partner a small smile. Gavin smiled back at him, and with that, they headed into the building.

Once they got inside, Nines was immediately able to map out the building. The building was an old warehouse, filled with crates and large generators, and nearby one of the generators was a table with a suspiciously humanoid-shaped figure hidden under a cloth, right next to a table with a hologram that read "CALIBRATING FOR ACTIVATION: 48%". Nines immediately clocked Ada standing right next to the table, standing around, seemingly on guard.

Nines had no time to process whatever information he had gotten, so he charged at Ada. The other android seemed to notice his arrival and began fighting back. With Nines's combat protocols, he knew that they were an equal match, which was why he was hoping that Gavin would take the shot.

"You can't stop me, Nines." Ada threw a punch at him, and he let her hit him. Perhaps, if she thought that he was weaker than her, she'd let her guard down. Nines attempted to push her back, but she grabbed his arm and twisted it, a sickening crack erupting from where his arm was ripped out of its socket. Ada let out a wolfish grin as she used Nines's arm as a bludgeoning weapon against him. "We're the same now. I just have an advantage."

"DPD! Put your arms down!" Chris rushed in, pointing his gun at Ada. His hands were trembling, his eyes seemingly wanting to look away. Even without scanning him, Nines could tell that Chris was incredibly stressed about the situation, most likelt because of the guilt he felt about what happened at Capitol Park.

"You're bluffing." Ada used Nines's arm to bat at him from a distance, her crazed grin not once faltering. "You're too guilty to shoot another android, it's all over your scan-"

A shot rung out through the warehouse, but not from Chris's gun. 

No, it came from behind Ada, where Gavin stood, his pistol lined up with the bullet hole in Ada's chest. "Maybe he was. But I'm not against shooting murderers."

Ada collapsed onto the ground, holding her wounded torso. Gavin pointed his gun at the terminal, now displaying a bold 99%, before shooting it and causing sparks to fly as a large textbox which simply stated "ERROR" was placed over the overlay, before it all faded away completely. Gavin then recited her Miranda rights, and then she began to cry.

"I-I wasn't deviant- y-you can't put me away for that!" Ada reasoned, but when Nines refused to look at her, she got aggressive. She thrashed against both Chris and Gavin's hold, yet the handcuffs around her remained unbroken, despite her best efforts to break free. Thank rA9 for anti-android handcuffs, Nines thought. "You think you're so much better than me, Nines?! You're just a malfunctioning robot who thinks that it could be loved by a hu-"

A loud _thwap!_ followed by Ada collapsing on the ground happened, thanks to one Detective Gavin Reed's pistol whip against the robot. Gavin smiled up at Nines, offering his hand out to his partner. He pulled him in close, their bodies touching so intimately that Nines almost forgot that they were technically at a crime scene. Almost.

"Love you, tin can." Gavin murmured into Nines's shoulder. 

"And I, you. Meat sack." Gavin burst into laughter, breaking their touch just to be able to put an arm around Nines's waist. 

"Alright, Chris. Lead her into the cop car, and take the cache so we can return the missing biocomponents to the families." Gavin ordered, while Chris still stared at the bullet hole in Ada. After a few moments, Detective Miller went to work, which left both Gavin and Nines an opportunity to sneak away. And if they snuck a few kisses in the car, neither of them cared, simply content to just be with their partner.

The news broke that the android killer had been found, and while some people were outraged that someone from New Jericho took their friends and family away, the New Jericho team promised to take more precautions when hiring, and advised all other businesses to send any androids their way to get a true interface, a scan to tell what happened in an android's life. A few androids protested, saying that they had a right to their privacy, but New Jericho stated that with the android killer just found to be another android, neither androids nor humans could be safe unless they were perfectly sure that androids could be trusted.

Nines turned off the TV as soon as Gavin came back from his exercise routine. "Good afternoon, Gavin."

Gavin simply huffed and placed himself into Nines's arms, embracing him with a gentle grip that made his heart melt in the way that only a tired Gavin Reed could. "Wanna pass out on the couch while some shitty movie's on?"

"More than anything." Nines kissed Gavin's head and led them to the couch, turning on some random movie. Gavin curled up into Nines's lap, and the android oblliged his urge to pet Gavin's hair. The detective sighed contently, unable to keep his eyes open, before falling into a deep slumber. Nines's thoughts wandered to Ada. He still thought about her sometimes, wishing things were different, but the past was the past. There was nothing else he could do at this point. He kissed a sleeping Gavin's head, hoping and praying that whatever he had with the detective would last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't believe i made ada a murderer and that's probably the last you'll see of her in my stories
> 
> i'm getting kinda tired of putting the link to my tumblr so i'm just gonna,,, either not do it anymore, or i'll fix it in post fslaksakmsa
> 
> next up: gavin and nines are roommates and gavin finds nines's underwear in his laundry load. he takes it and wears it like... i dunno what, but my mind goes immediately towards 'idiot' so i guess i'll call him an idiot


	25. July 25th - #Roommates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh yeah uhh **HUMAN! AU** , because i do not want to argue about the fact that nines is using a phone and also wears underwear
> 
> also, nothing smutty, just gavin wearing his roommate's underwear because he feels closer to nines that way

Gavin had been Nines's roommate for quite a while now, and he knew their routine. Mondays were the day when Nines would wash his laundry and he'd look around to see what was broken, what wasn't up to scratch, and then make a list of what to get in case he could fix it himself, and who to hire to fix what he couldn't. Wednesdays were when Gavin would do his laundry, and then some general apartment cleaning. Fridays were when he and Nines would lock the doors and pass out in Gavin's room, which was the farthest from the door.

He knew their routine like the back of his hand, so it surprised him one Wednesday night when he found some underwear which _definitely_ wasn't his.

Gavin knew that he probably shouldn't. It was probably Nines's underwear, and knowing his roommate, he probably kept track of everything in their flat... but Gavin could just say that he accidentally put it in with his clothes. Yeah, he was so sleep-deprived, he didn't bother paying attention to whatever clothes he took. Besides, it was his laundry day, anyway. Perhaps Nines knew...

 _Shit_. What if Nines knew about Gavin's stupid little crush on him and left his underwear there for him to find?

Gavin felt some blood head down south, and he cursed under his breath as he gathered the rest of his clothes. As he examined the rest of the clothes, he found that the only thing that was out of place was what he assumed to be Nines's underwear. A thought that he definitely did not want to have crossed his mind as he powered through to his bedroom. He felt that he was violating some form of privacy, just by taking his roommate's underwear. But hey! He could always blame Nines, and if there was one thing Gavin Reed was good at, it was shifting the blame on others!

...That didn't sound as good as he thought it would have, but it was true. Shitty, but true.

When Nines came home that night, he didn't mention anything. Nor did he mention anything over the course of the following weeks, up until he made an off-handed comment. Nines and Gavin both had a lazy day once they woke up between the cusp of Friday night and Saturday morning. Gavin was lazily splayed over the couch, shirtless, of course, his legs over Nines's own while the other scrolled through his phone.

"Enjoying my gift, I see?" Nines said without looking up at his phone. Gavin looked up at Nines confused.

"Huh?" Nines pointed to- OH. OH SHIT. Nines only smiled as realization hit Gavin's face, heat creeping up his cheeks. Nines looked at him with this... weird sort of smugness and fondness at the same time. "Don't worry. I assumed you'd like that for your birthday."

His birthday? But that was... oh, that was weeks ago. It had been his birthday when he found Nines's underwear in his laundry. He had a whole party and everything _(well, it was just him and Nines, but Gavin found that was all he wanted anyway, it wasn't like he had too many friends)._ "Oh, yeah. Huh."

Nines nodded and reached out to touch Gavin's stomach, before pausing slightly above it. Gavin took his hand and placed it upon his stomach, at which Nines found it appropriate to rub his stomach. The night went on, with just the two of them enjoying each others' company. And the days ahead just... happened, if Gavin had to guess.

They began trading clothes, they woke up in each others' arms most nights, they ate together, sometimes they kissed, it was a strange shift in their relationship, Gavin thought. They came from being kinda-friends to... whatever this was. And you know what? Gavin thought that was alright. He didn't want to change whatever the fuck this was. Did he want to know what it was? Abso-fucking-lutely. But did he feel the need to put a label on it?

No. Not really.

He stood out on the balcony, a lit cigarette in between his fingers as he puffed out a cloud of smoke in the dark of night. The dimmed lights from inside of their flat were the only sources of light that Gavin could see, aside from the occasional passing vehicle. He always found it strange how this street just refused to have any streetlights, but he was actually kinda grateful for it. It was a nice kind of calm, a refuge from all the bright lights they saw from day to day.

A low shuffling sound from behind him made him turn his head. "Hey."

"Hey." Nines yawned out. "Couldn't sleep tonight?"

"Nah." Gavin puffed out another breath. Nines reached his hand out to take Gavin's cigarette, the other man giving it to him without much of a fight. Nines took a puff of it, holding on to it for another breath, before releasing it into the night sky. Gavin simply looked at Nines, his bright blue eyes now a darker blue, a result of not wearing his contacts, and his hair was incredibly disheveled, in a way that only Gavin was allowed to see. "Thought you quit."

"Tried to. But kissing you on the mouth just sparks it in me again." Nines let out a soft laugh. Gavin only smiled at him, enjoying the comfortable silence. Nines went to him and grabbed him by the waist. "Come back to bed?"

"Yeah." Gavin extinguished the cigarette into the ashtray, and he let Nines guide him into whichever bed they'd fall asleep in. He pulled Nines against his chest, feeling the other man relax against him. He kissed Nines's hair as he adjusted their position to be more comfortable for the both of them. "G'night."

"Night, Gav." Nines mumbled as he fell asleep.

After a few more moments, Gavin fell asleep too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: this was originally supposed be something about nines being a teacher while gavin was a detective and they lived together but i couldn't find anything that worked so i scrapped it
> 
> also, I'm not too happy with this, but eh. it is what it is
> 
> next up: prince carter stern lives a double life as nines arkay, a commoner who fell in love with thieving extraordinaire, gavin reed


	26. July 26th - Royalty AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't actually know what kind of ending this is, nor do i know what kind of ending the next story is, all i know is that the next story's gonna have a couple of warnings

Prince Carter Stern always liked to play pretend.

He always liked to slip away from the castle grounds, hid some clothes somewhere else so that he could easily blend in with the commoners, then pretending to be one of them. It was always so... _exciting_ to learn from the common folk. Knowing how to let loose like them, learning how to be able to talk like them, learning how to be... _normal._

And so, that's why he snuck out of the castle under the guise of working on a massive piece of art, and preferring to not be disturbed by anyone.

The prince changed into his common clothes, then headed off into the town square. The town was alive with action everywhere, people chatting animatedly, tunes being played by the bards which for once, were not being about how oh so great the royals were, instead being about tales of dragons and knights and romance.

He walked into a tavern, greeting the people as they greeted him, talking with him about the things they've done while he was away, asking him what he'd done, all of those things. It was... nice. It felt nice to be welcomed and not treated like some higher power, someone who was higher than pretty much everyone. He felt nice being someone's equal, rather than their superior.

As he made it to the bar and ordered a drink, he felt around in his pocket, and touched a pair of hands attempting to take his little pouch. He immediately grabbed at the hand, pulling it forward and smiled at the man who the hand belonged to. "Really, Gavin. If you wanted to touch my ass, you could just do it. Better than stealing from me to use as a cover-up."

The thief laughed at that, pulling the prince in for a quick kiss. "Sorry, Nines. Y'know me. When do I stop?"

'Nines' grabbed his _(lover?)_ thief by the back of his neck, pressing a kiss to his neck. Gavin moaned into his touch, grabbing his ass _(and thankfully not attempting to steal from him)._ Nines nodded towards the bartender as he sucked on the tender flesh, holding up two fingers and placing a couple silver pieces on the table. The bartender gave him a look of faux-disgust, before giving him a warm smile. Nines flipped her off, returning her smile.

"So." Nines said as he sat down on a barstool. "How's the business going? Anything fun?"

Gavin huffed as he sat on the seat next to Nines, raking his hand through his _(incredibly soft, as Nines once found out)_ hair. "Well, apparently I've gotta break into the royals' place to go get some dumb shit for the guild. Think you could help with that?"

Nines paused for a moment. Could Gavin already know who he was? Before he could say anything on the matter, the bartender arrived with their drinks, which Gavin took and handed one to Nines. Gavin shifted a bit closer and bit Nines's ear as he whispered: "C'mon, princey. Do it for me?"

Nines swallowed as he struggled to keep Gavin's weight from causing both of them to fall down. "Y-Yeah. Okay. I'll do it. What do you need?"

"Preferably something that has some jewels and the crown's insignia. Think you can handle that, babe?" Gavin muttered. If Nines wasn't sober right now, he might've actually preened under his little thief's intense gaze.

"Yeah. When do you need it, Gav?" 

"Anytime that's good for you, babe." Gavin pressed a quick kiss to Nines's lips, before giving him that sly smirk as he chugged his drink, then talked louder about this and that, as if there was nothing wrong.

Nines sat there and drank from his mug quietly, nodding occasionally at whatever Gavin said, before he stood up and walked off without a word.

* * *

And as Nines had said, he came back with one of his own crowns. It was a platinum crown, with lots of sapphires embedded in it, with the occasional topaz and ruby. The castle's insignia was at the direct front, a bright blue heart behind a pack of wolves running into the night. It was one of his favorites, actually, and while he was devastated that Gavin would probably take it to some higher-ups, he knew that it had the most value. If Nines were to give Gavin anything for the last time, he might as well have given him enough to retire.

He went up to the roof of the old abandoned building that had been his and Gavin's little secret haven, thinking about all of the memories they shared there. Thinking about whether this would be the last time that he'd be able to come up here with Gavin, about whether or not Gavin would still talk to him after his little mission is done. Nines heaved a sigh as he waited for his-... the thief to come to him.

The night was beautiful and dark, and strangely comforting.

"Hey." Gavin said smoothly as he scaled the building's side and made it up to Nines's side. Nines handed the crown to him without a reply. The thief looked at him with concern on his features, but Nines knew better now. "Hey. What's wrong?"

"Was it all just a lie?" Nines asked.

"What was?"

"Us." Nines clarified. "The warm embraces, the lingering touches, the passionate kisses. Was it just a ruse to get something from the palace?"

Gavin looked ashamed at that declaration, and Nines sighed as he began climbing down the roof. The thief seemed too ashamed and stunned to even try to stop him, so with a heavy heart, Nines continued his descent, until he heard the thief say something.

"It was, at first."

Nines stopped at the ledge of the window, where he could still see Gavin's form peeking out from over him, looking at Nines with a face that said _'don't go'._ Nines, against his better judgment, climbed back up onto the roof. Gavin heaved a sigh as he twiddled Nines's crown in his fingers.

"I knew your face as soon as I saw you in the tavern. Figured that it'd help me make a quick buck, so I told the guild that I was onto you. That I'd get somethin' of value within the next few days." Gavin seemed to take a breath to hold back tears. Nines didn't comfort him. It was probably just another lie anyway. "Then... I dunno, fuck. I just fell in love with you, I guess. You tore down my walls, and despite my shitload of attempts to steal from you, you still loved me. I kept doing it because it was just our thing, and then... and then the guild was displeased at how I still didn't get anything from you. Not a single trinket or whatever. They threatened to kill me and I just... I panicked. I went to you that night, scared as shit, because I just _knew_ that you'd think that I just got to know you for the money."

The silence in between them was tense, and Nines could actually feel Gavin try to lean on him. He inched closer to the thief, putting an arm around him as he rubbed his shoulder. At this point, Nines didn't know which he should follow: his logical brain telling him that the thief didn't really love him, or his bleeding heart that told him that he wanted the thief to be his?

"And... of course you did, because that's what any smart person would do. You loved me for real, and I was- _am_ so scared that I'd fuck up the one good thing in my life." Gavin laughed bitterly. "Guess I'm the fool, huh? For thinking that this'd work out. For believing that I could stall this forever and just be with you."

Nines felt his heart win over his brain for a brief moment, and in a total lack of impulse control, he kissed Gavin on the lips as if he was suffocating and Gavin was air. The thief, though surprised at first, reciprocated with as much fervor and passion as the prince gave, only stopping to catch his breath, the crown long forgotten at his side. Nines looked deep into Gavin's eyes, sighing as he felt relief and dread overcome his body all at once.

"Will I ever see you again?" Nines asked, cupping Gavin's face in one hand while the other held him close.

"I don't know." Gavin answered. "I hope so. I want to."

Nines smiled at him and took him in for a more tame, but still passionate kiss, tears streaking down his face. "That's all I ask."

And with that, Nines slowly climbed down the building, giving his thief one last smile, before they both disappeared into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nines is a fake name that prince carter chose because why not!! he likes it even if he knows that it isn't actually a real name!! he just makes up more elaborate stories every time someone asks him the origin of nines!!
> 
> up next: uh oh boys, it's whump time, gavin gets yelled at and contemplates jumping off the top of a building, but nines stops him just before he gets to do so


	27. July 27th - #Whump

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **WARNING:** there are themes of _suicide_ in this fic, and even though gav doesn't actually go through with it, it's still important to know. stay safe. don't do anything too brash.
> 
> as a reminder, **you guys don't have to read this**. you can just wait until tomorrow for the monster au fic.

_"This is what I'm talking about, Gavin! You don't ever listen to me, and then whenever something bad happens because of your stupidity, you put the blame on me!"_

The words kept replaying in his mind, a haunting echo that reminded him of what he was. Bold. Brash. Stupid. He didn't mean it, he didn't mean to hurt Nines like this, but then again, when did he ever? He stood at the edge of the high balcony, fingers gripping the cold steel as tears slipped down his face. He wondered if Nines would care if he took the leap. He then remembered what he was, and shook his head, his grip on the bars that separated him from the edge growing tighter.

Bold. Brash. Stupid.

_"You never fucking loved me, did you? You just wanted to see an android cry. Well, are you happy now, Gavin? Is this what you fucking wanted?!"_

Nines's words shot through him like a barrage of bullets, not once letting him off easy. His heart pounded against his chest, because what he said wasn't true, yet he couldn't let himself refute it. All of the other things that Nines said were true, and what was stopping this from becoming true as well? Gavin cried even harder, sobs making his body tremble until his knees gave out, sending him onto the floor.

Bold. Brash. Stupid.

_"I tried, Gavin! I tried to help you, I tried to make you understand how I feel for you, and yet you just keep pushing me away! I tried to reach out to you, and you just fucking toss me to the curb, and expect me to come crawling back to you?!"_

He heaved himself up, trying to get back on his feet, yet his stomach disagreed with the movement. He powered through it anyway, knowing that maybe... maybe if he was gone, Chris wouldn't have to deal with his own kid at home and with Gavin at work. Maybe if he was gone, Tina wouldn't have to worry about her stupid friend doing something incredibly stupid. 

Maybe if he was gone, Nines would be happier.

He deserved it, anyway. Freshly deviated state-of-the-art android, and he got partnered up with a hot-headed, anxiety-filled brute of a detective, when he could've gotten someone nice like Chris or hell, maybe even the Andersons whenever they got back. No, instead he got stuck with Gavin fucking Reed, the absolutely feral trash raccoon of the precinct. Gavin fucking Reed, the loose-lipped bitch that would pick a fight just for the sake of it. Gavin _fucking_ Reed, the worst asshole in the precinct, hell, the whole state of Michigan, who only drove his both his work partners and life partners away.

Bold. Brash. Stupid.

_"I'm done with you, Gavin. I'm done playing your stupid games, I'm done always being the fool. I'm done."_

Gavin wiped his tears away, having cried long enough for him to run out. He opened up his email app, writing messages for the four people he cared about. He didn't know when they'd receive them, but they needed to know. They needed to know that he tried, and he failed, and that this was the only way for them to be truly happy. With a deep sigh, he wrote down a letter to Chris.

_ Chris. _

_ I loved you like a brother and I could only ever hope that you'd end up happier wherever you go. I know that we haven't always seen eye-to-eye, but I like that about you. You challenge things that don't go against what you know, and you do your research. You're a smart guy, Chris. Don't let things go bad the way I made it for me. _

_ See ya on the other side, man. _

Gavin never really was a man of words, choosing to show rather than tell, and it was evident in how he wrote his stupid goodbye letters. He ignored the fact that he was too stupid to write as eloquently as Nines, or as much as Tina, or with as much feeling as Chris. He'd already come to terms with it all, and he moved on to writing Tina's letter.

_ Tina, _

_ My right-hand-woman. My wingwoman. For years, it's been just the two of us, and I'm glad that you've stuck with me despite all the shit that I've put you through. I'm sorry that I didn't get to be the same kind of friend that you were to me. I'm sorry that instead of helping you with your marriage and shit, I decided to be a dick about it. And I'm sorry about what I'm going to do, and for putting you through it. _

_ It's not your fault, Tina. It never was. It was always my own fault for bringing myself down. I always joked that if this thing with Nines went balls up, I'd come crashing to the ground with a smile on my face. I just didn't think that it'd be so literal. _

_ Take care of yourself, T. Enjoy the life you have left, and don't bother picking up the pieces of me. It'll only hurt you more. _

With a relieved sigh, Gavin closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of the cool Detroit air. He didn't know why up here, the skies always seemed clearer. It was always why he'd smoke up here, because it wasn't so crowded with smoke and lights, it was just him and the stars. He thought about when he was last up here. It was with Nines. But he just had to fuck that up, didn't he?

_ Jeff, _

_ Hey dad. I know that the last thing you'd expect from me is an email at two in the fucking morning, but this is important. I just wanted to say that I love you, even if I'm such a little shit all the time at work. I've always seen you as a father figure, and I always know that whenever my apartments gets too shitty, I can head on over to your place and we'd figure something out. I wish that I could do that one last time before the end, but I don't really think that's too important right now. _

_ Dad, I'm gonna be honest with you. I've been a major fuck-up for my entire life, but ever since the day you found me, I've just been getting better. You've been a great influence in my life, and I know that you've done your best to help me get better, but I'm sorry. I'm a lost cause. _

_ Still, thanks for picking me up when I was at my lowest point. I got to meet amazing friends, and got an amazing boyfriend out of it too. I'm so sorry that I didn't get to keep them. But take care of yourself, yeah? And for god's sake, just retire already. Lord knows that you've done enough for this precinct already. Leave it to Hank. I know he's been better with Connor at his side. _

_ Love you, dad. _

And with that sent, Gavin only had one letter left. He saved it for last, because he knew Nines. He knew that Nines would probably try to stop him out of guilt. He knew that he'd try to get back with Gavin just because he was on the edge and he couldn't live with himself if he got a human killed. Still, Gavin was doing this of his own accord, and he didn't want to hold Nines back. He deserved someone better.

He deserved to be happy.

_ Nines, _

_ I meant what I said to you back in the hospital. I was the absolute worst to you. I still am, and that is unforgivable. I'm sorry. The truth is that no matter how much I say I love you, my actions don't account for it. No matter how much I promise we'll be okay, that I'll be better, that's all they are: promises. I'm so fucking sorry that I couldn't be better for you. I'm so sorry that you had to put up with all my shit. And I'm so sorry that I'm doing this to you. _

_ You deserve someone better than me, Nines. You deserve the best that the world can give you, because that's what you are to me. You were the best thing in my life, and I'm so sorry that I'm still the worst. But don't you worry, tin can. Soon enough, I'll be out of your hair. I'll be gone within the next few minutes, and you can get yourself a better partner, a better friend. _

_ Doing this is tough, y'know? On one hand, I don't want you to worry about me until I'll already gone, but on the other hand, I don't want you to feel left out of my messages. It's tough telling the one you love that you're gonna jump 'cause you've never been enough for them, because it makes them feel guilty. It makes them feel sad that they weren't enough to save you. _

_ I don't want that for you, Nines. I want you to be happy without me. I want you to go out there and be social and shit, all the things that I never let you do because I was too scared of losing you. And I just want you to know that whatever happens next, it isn't your fault. It never was. _

_ I love you, tin can. May life deal you a better hand than it dealt me. I'm sorry. _

With a heavy heart, Gavin slipped his phone in his pocket after he sent the final email. He walked over to the edge, smiling at the view. He never really appreciated the view until now, but now he actually did. He always figured that he'd go out with a bang, but he figured that a splat wasn't too bad either. As he got one leg over the edge, the door behind him banged open and out came tumbling Nines.

"Gavin!" Within a blink of an eye, Nines was already at the edge and holding Gavin back, tears streaming down his face. It reminded Gavin of their last argument, the one that led to this whole thing. It made him feel bad. "Jesus- _fuck Gavin,_ when I said... when I said I was done with you I didn't mean..."

"Shh... I know, Nines. I know." Gavin patted Nines's back, not even bothering trying to tilt himself over the edge. He might've had a death wish, but he didn't want to bring Nines down with him. And it wasn't like he could do it anyway. Nines's grip on him was too strong.

"I... _I'm sorry, Gav._ I didn't want you to die. I never wanted you to die, I just- _god Gavin,_ I... I could've worded that better, but I just meant I needed a break, I didn't mean to-" Nines cut himself off with a choked sob. Gavin moved himself so that he was away from the ledge, just continuing to comfort Nines. He wouldn't try to jump now. Not when Nines still needed him.

He sat down, Nines following him down, his grip turning into a huge hug. Gavin moved his arms to be able to wrap around Nines's tall frame, causing the android to hug him tighter. They held each other just like that for the rest of the night. 

Gavin let his thoughts wander for as long as he was awake. Maybe things'll be alright. Maybe they wouldn't. But right now, in the arms of Nines, Gavin knew that he would be okay for a moment. That for a moment, he didn't have to think too much. He didn't bother telling Chris, Tina, and Fowler that he didn't die. He was just too tired for that. He'd leave everything up to Nines, since he was so intent on saving him.

With that, Gavin fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> up next: some zombie au fluff because this was just too sad for me to write (zombies are technically monsters, right?)


	28. July 28th - Monster AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp, now that that's over with, it's zombie au time!!

Having a zombie for a partner was hard, Nines knew that very well. Though, he found out that _hiding_ the fact that your partner is a zombie from the rest of the crew during a zombie apocalypse was even harder.

And he wasn't even supposed to know about it. Wild.

It all started when he was assigned to the precinct. The zombie apocalypse was at it's peak, and the police departments have become some form of military at that point, but apparently people still committed crimes during the zombie apocalypse. Like, actual murders and stuff, and apparently they were... still supposed to investigate it? Instead of just hunting down zombies? Crazy. 

The zombie apocalypse was a weird thing that happened. One moment, everything was alright, then the next people were actually trying to eat each other, clawing at skin just to get some sort of fresh meat or something. Nines wasn't even activated yet, he was still stuck in Cyberlife. Markus just awakened him, told him about the zombie apocalypse, then he had suggested that he talk with Connor. Then he just went and left him there, his new purpose unknown, still struggling to be a deviant.

It wouldn't be too off-brand for Nines to want to kill Markus. After all, his original purpose was to be a deviant hunter.

Either way, Nines sought out Connor and nearly died due to gunshot via Hank Anderson, who then apologized because he 'thought that [he] was something else'. It was not the most pleasant greeting he's gotten, but he was sure that there were worse ways to be greeted. And then Connor had referred him to the Detroit Police Department with the knowledge of his advanced hunting protocols, and here he was, in Captain Jeffrey Fowler's office.

"So. You're set to be partnered up with Detective Gavin Reed, he's the short one with a scar on his nose." Captain Fowler stated while putting some files into their respective place. "I expect you to be at your most optimal performance."

Nines simply nodded and left Captain Fowler's office in search of his detective. After a few moments of searching, he found the detective in the break room talking with another officer. A quick scan told Nines that the officer who was friendly with Detective Reed was Officer Tina Chen, thirty-six years old, Asian-American descent, married to one Valerie Morales-Chen.

And seeing as he scanned Officer Chen, he decided to scan Detective Reed as well. It was quite an interesting file, loaded with more information than Officer Chen's, for some reason. Full name was Gavin James Reed, date of birth was October 7th, 2002, date of death was on August 8th, 203- wait. _Date of death?_

Nines paused in front of the door long enough for Detective Reed to pick up on his presence. "Well, shit! Another one of Cyberlife's plastic pets, eh?"

Detective Reed had the life and vigor of a _living_ human being, and certainly had the sass of one. _But still,_ the fact that his scans picked up the fact that Detective Reed even had a date of death which fit suspiciously within the timeframe of the first spread of the zombie virus was incredibly concerning. Nines thought about going to a Cyberlife Repair Center just to check if he'd had anything wrong with his programming, but it seemed like no matter who he scanned, it was only Detective Reed who had a date of death.

"Hey!" Detective Reed snapped his fingers in front of Nines's face, causing him to snap to attention. "What? Cyberlife's most advanced suddenly breaks down in a breakroom?"

Nines's LED flashes a bright red as his gaze shifts from concern to cold distance. "Apologies, Detective Reed. Captain Fowler has informed me that we are now partners, and I would like to discuss the nature of our partnership. _In private._ "

Detective Reed perked an eyebrow up, but acquiesced either way, ribbing Officer Chen about tin cans, blah blah blah. Nines couldn't care less, and he barrelled through the precinct and powerwalked to an interrogation room. People got out of their way, most likely because a six-foot-four android with a stoic face and a red LED was not a good sign, but Nines paid them no mind as he went into the interrogation room. Nines hacked the cameras just in case this was supposed to be private information, his LED turning yellow for a moment, before returning to the angry red.

"Does the entire precinct know about your date of death, Detective Reed?"

Detective Reed's eyes widened and he looked around for anyone watching, before immediately grabbing onto Nines's collar and dragging him down to his level. "Did you fucking scan me?!"

"Answer the question, Detective. Unless you want me to broadcast it to the entire DPD."

Detective Reed huffed as he released the RK900, still not moving away from him. "No. The only one who knows is you, as far as I'm aware. And I'd like to keep it that way."

Nines glared at the detective for a hot minute before sighing. "Fine. Tell me what I need to know and what to expect from you as both my partner and a zombie."

Then, Detective Reed did just that. Nines found out that he shouldn't tug on Detective Reed's arm too hard or else it'll fall off, which was actually one of his concerns earlier, so good to know. He then learned about how the detective does things, and then their partnership, though rocky at first, was able to work out, for some reason.

Which led them to the current point in time, in which Gavin had not eaten in a few days, and they were at a crime scene in which there was a human corpse.

Gavin was incredibly antsy as the other officers studied the corpse, eager to eat the thing. Nines immediately put an arm around Gavin, which no matter what the detective said, he was actually grateful for. Nines leaned in closer to Gavin, whispering in his ear. "Behave. You'll be able to get at it later."

The human _(well, technically speaking, he was a zombie, but Gavin would deck him if he ever heard him say that)_ detective shifted uncomfortably, muttering in a low voice. "I kinda wish that I'd taken you up on that offer to eat a couple days back. Didn't fuckin' know that we'd have so many damn officers on the scene."

"I know. But they'll head out eventually. I'll make sure that no one sees you." Nines rubbed circles into the detective's back, which sort of calmed him down, so Nines counted that as a win.

"Yikes." Officer Person muttered. "This shit's fucked up. I mean, eating his balls out? That's insane, even in a zombie apocalypse."

"Who knows, maybe the zombie was givin' 'im a blowjob before it turned." Officer Collins joked which got a laugh out of mostly everyone. Nines didn't, because he didn't find such crude humor funny, and Gavin didn't either, because he was too busy staring at the corpse.

The other officers wrapped up the scene, Connor taking some licks at the man's lack of genitals before heading off to register them at the DPD. As soon as they left the scene and Nines gave him the all clear, Gavin immediately began eating the corpse. At first, Nines found it incredibly disgusting, but then once he got over the inhuman look of hunger that was on his detective's face, he found that he really didn't mind. It actually reminded him of a small dog viciously eating a steak.

He took a look at Gavin before immediately looking back to check for anyone else who might be approaching. A chihuahua, perhaps.

By the time that Gavin gave any indication that he was done, Nines saw that the human victim was already mostly bones, and Gavin had his face smeared with lots of blood. The android picked out a handkerchief and wiped the detective's face with a look of faux disgust. "Really Gav, you eat like a messy toddler."

"Fuck you, I haven't eaten in literal days."

"I haven't eaten in months-"

"-you're a fuckin' ROBOT you do NOT need to fuckin' eat-"

"Hey!" A voice snapped them out of their little argument, and they turned to see Officer Tina Chen. Nines really wished that he brought the huge ass towel that Gavin insisted they bring instead of the handkerchief because there was still _so much blood_ all over Gavin. Gavin immediately took the handkerchief and rubbed his face vigorously, yet he kept the bloodstained cloth on his face even as Officer Chen approached.

"Good afternoon, Officer Chen." Nines stated in that rehearsed calmness that he usually had. Gavin remained silent, avoiding eye contact.

"So, I was wondering about the vic-" Officer Chen stopped as soon as she saw the body. She looked up at Gavin, then at Nines, then back to the body. "...is there anything you guys would like to tell me?"

"Not particularly, no." Nines said while holding Gavin close to his chest, tilting away so that his LED wouldn't be within Officer Chen's line of sight. Regardless, Officer Chen must've realized that his LED was a bright red as she squinted her eyes at them.

"Okay, is there anything I should know then? Like, why is the victim suddenly just flesh and bone?"

Gavin spoke up for the first time in this conversation. "Zombie motherfucker. We were just headin' out then the fuckin' Iron Giant heard somethin'. Figured we could check it out, and when we did we found an undead just eatin' the evidence and I slashed at it. Sprayed a shit ton of blood on me while it ran away."

Gavin Reed was an excellent liar, seeing as Officer Chen seemed to acknowledge that statement as true, and then she looked at Nines. "What's with you? Your mood ring's freaking out."

"My partner just got sprayed with zombie blood, so please excuse me if I'm worried about his wellbeing." Nines said with the tone of a practiced liar. He really had to thank Gavin for that. Hm.

Tina's eyes widened, a hand placed over her mouth."Shit, you think he needs... medical attention?"

Gavin winced at that, but Nines remained stoic and firm. Medical attention was just a euphemism for 'getting put down, AKA fucking killed' as Gavin always said, and as much as Gavin irritated him with his recklessness sometimes, Nines still wanted the detective's company. "No. I have been monitoring his condition for the past five minutes, and I still am. I will alert anyone should his case get worse."

Officer Chen nodded gravely, before smiling at Gavin and walking off silently. She didn't even ask her question. Hm.

Gavin sighed a breath of relief as soon as Officer Chen was at a far enough distance. "Goddamn, that was close. Also, you're doing better at lying. Good job, tin can."

Nines simply let out a small smile, before looking out over the scene. Seeing as there was no more evidence, either of the original crime or Gavin's little feast, the android tilted his head towards Gavin's car. "Come on, detective. There's more bodies to ogle."

"Don't fuckin' say that. It's weird."

"You love to 'make eyes' at corpses, don't you detective?"

"Nines, I swear to god, I will fuckin' shoot you."

Needless to say, Nines wasn't shot at all that day, nor was Gavin's little secret found out. Nines knew that he couldn't possibly keep this up forever, but hey, as Gavin said, they'd cross that bridge when they got there, and as long as he had Gavin by his side, he'd cross any bridge. In the meantime, however...

"Hey Nines, do you think he was still hard when the zombie bit his dick off?"

"I will throw you out of this moving vehicle if I hear another stupid thing come out of your mouth, Gavin."

"...benis. Wait! Nines, no, no, no! Don't you fuckin' dare-"

_Thud!_

"Ugh. I hate you."

"You love me."

"No comment."

Nines could get used to this fond feeling blooming in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i like to think that gavin just occasionally lets nines sleep on him because if he moves, he's bound to rip a part of his body off
> 
> next up: gavin and nines make out in a closet for more than seven minutes


	29. July 29th - #StuckInACloset

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome,,, **TO THE END**
> 
> anyway, i'm kinda like,,, too burned out to write anything more so I guess you'll just have to stick with honry gavin and possessive nines
> 
> also, continuation to my college au fic, in which nines did not ask gavin out because he's #scared(tm)

It was a great night for Gavin Reed, up until Ada had the bright idea to lock him up in a closet with his crush.

The three friends were at a party thrown by some of North's friends, and since Ada was North's girlfriend, Ada's two friends were also invited. Nines was still absolutely terrified of North, North still glared at Nines as if he would yeet Ada away, and all was well, in Gavin's opinion. Ada had done nothing but cling to North, leaving Nines alone with Gavin on the balcony.

It was actually kinda awesome to have a party at Manfred Manor. Gavin had thought that it was only a myth that people started, but _no,_ apparently Markus was actually adopted by Carl Manfred, and allowed him to host parties as long as they didn't trash the place.

Gavin lit up and took a puff of his cigarette, to which Nines gave him a look for, but otherwise didn't say anything. They just looked out into the dark night, away from all the raging teens _("Technically, a majority of us are adults an-" "Nines I SWEAR TO GOD.")_ and the strobe lights. There was a huge commotion in the living room, and there were a hell of a lot of drunk people making out all over the place. Nines said as much, commenting on how some people nearly fell off the stairs because they were too busy making out, and Gavin huffed out a laugh.

Before they could do anything else, Ada, drunk as hell, ripped them from their place in the balcony and dragged them off somewhere, much to both of the boys' confusion. Gavin tried to ensure that his cigarette remained lit and not doused by some random frat boy's spilled drink. "Uh, Ada? Where are we going?"

 _"We..._ " Ada lifted both of their arms up in what Gavin assumed was a way to indicate all three of them. "...are going to play Seven Minutes In Heaven!"

Nines was about to say something before he was gently _(not gently, harshly, roughly, how dare anyone be rough with Nines!)_ yanked away from Ada's grip by a swarm of people. Gavin held his hand out and yelled Nines's name dramatically, as Nines did the same for Gavin as he was promptly put on the other side of the circle.

"Okay! Let's get it on!" Tina Chen, someone from his Criminology class, yelled as she brought out a bottle of... _something._ The other college kids cheered when she spun the bottle first and it landed on Valerie Morales, someone who Gavin only knew through Tina.

Then, the game kept being played. People spun and spun the bottle, going to various closets in the manor. It was actually quite amusing just how many closets were in this house. Gavin had counted about eight closets so far, and then suddenly it was his turn to spin the bottle. He sighed, hoping that he at least knew who he'd get stuck with. He drank a huge gulp of his beer, watching as Nines did the same and shuddered. He spun the bottle and-... 

Well, he got his wish, the bottle pointed directly at Nines.

Nines looked absolutely shocked that he was chosen by the bottle gods or whatever, meanwhile Ada and the rest of the others just cheered. Ada, in all of her drunken glory, stood both of them up, dragged them to a closet, and threw them in. They crashed into each other, apologizing for the collision as they heard the door lock from the outside _(who the fuck locked a closet from the outside?)_.

"Remember, seven minutes!" Ada yelled through the door.

Her footsteps faded into the music, and Gavin found that he was probably in the smallest closet possible. His face was mere inches from Nines, and their bodies were still tangled together in the tight space. Nines was breathing heavily, probably due to the smoke from Gavin's cigarette which amazing stayed lit throughout the whole debacle.

"We don't have to do anything here, y'know." Gavin said as he tried to put out his cigarette, but then Nines stopped him.

The taller boy looked flushed for a moment, for reasons Gavin could only guess, before Nines took a puff of the cigarette and blew it out, massaging his temple. Gavin let the thought go directly to his dick. _No! Bad dick! Bad!_

Nines passed back the cigarette after a few more puffs, except he didn't blow out the last one. Gavin went on to say something before Nines pulled him in and shotgunned the smoke into his mouth. Now, Gavin was sure that shotgunning only worked with weed, but damn it, he was horny, so he leaned into the sort of kiss.

The other boy left his lips, and Gavin blew the smoke away from them. Nines continued to look at him with hungry eyes, before a look of recognition flashed on his face. He rubbed his hand against his face, muttering apologies about overstepping boundaries and what not. Drunk Gavin immediately decided that Nines was cuter when he was kissing him instead of talking, so he grabbed Nines by his collar and pressed a passionate kiss to his lips.

Nines was surprised at first, but then he leaned into the kiss, giving back as much as he got, and- _shit._ Gavin felt a knee press between his legs and let out a moan, because fucking hell, if he didn't want this. He pulled Nines closer, enjoying his touch, wanting more of him, more touches, more of the pretty sounds that Nines made, more of him.

He whined as Nines pulled away for breath, but he was also kinda thankful for that. If he didn't stop it, Gavin wouldn't ensure that he ever would and cause both of them to pass out due to lack of oxygen. That'd suck.

Gavin pulled Nines back in once he got enough of his breath back, and the friction _(or lack of)_ against his dick against Nines's knee was getting a bit too much for him to handle. He pushed his hips upward, but Nines pushed his knee down onto Gavin's dick, causing him to let out another whine, yet he rubbed his dick against the steady push of Nines's knee regardless.

He heard the door open, but he paid it no mind, allowing Nines to growl at whoever the fuck opened the door before getting back to their makeout session. Nines pulled away once more, but only for a second because he came back to bite Gavin's throat.

"N-Nines!" Gavin moaned, grabbing onto Nines's hair and pulling. Nines looked at him hungrily, the drunkenness evident in the way he moved but Gavin didn't care - he had Nines there, and Nines was looking at him as if he was the only thing that mattered.

"Mine." Nines muttered into his skin as he bit another hickey against Gavin's throat.

"Y-Yours... 'M yours, babe."

The night went on, and needless to say, it was a great night for Gavin Reed, ever since Ada had the bright idea to lock him up in a closet with his crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaand that's it! that's the end! if you're reading this, thanks a lot! for those who stuck around with me from the beginning 'til the very end, thanks. from the bottom of my heart, thank you for sticking with me through this journey. it's been a blast.
> 
> see ya on the flipside <3


End file.
